Metabolism
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Metabolism
It has long been known that melatonin is a key regulator of glucose metabolism and energy balance. More recent studies have also demonstrated that an impairment of the interaction between melatonin and the receptor can contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, although the mechanisms behind this are not yet understood.
Lifestyle affects insulin resistance
There may be many reasons for the development of insulin resistance, resulting in dysfunction of the body’s sugar metabolism, but one of the main factors is the disruption of the 24-hour circadian rhythm – researchers agree on this. Sleep problems, shift work and social jet lag have been named as examples of how the likelihood of insulin resistance and the resultant diabetes can be increased. Melatonin seems to play a key role here, as the body’s own melatonin production is suppressed or delayed in cases of all the aforementioned disorders.
Timing of food consumption is critical
Studies have also discovered that the timing of food intake also plays a key role here. For example, people who engage in shift and night work are at much greater risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, which presents a high risk of both cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These people are forced to eat at times where the body’s internal melatonin production is often highest – a situation that is not especially helpful in relation to the physiological effect of insulin.
Circadian insulin
Insulin is cyclically released at the three main mealtimes – which should always be during the day, namely times when melatonin concentration is lowest. Insulin is also released when eating a quick snack, but the sugar is not used physiologically, which can result in obesity.
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Metabolism
2025-01-15
In recent years, the role played by melatonin on the gut microbiota has gained increasingly greater attention. Additionally, the gut
2022-03-11
This study examined the reliability of 31phosphorus-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) to measure parameters of liver metabolic function in the intact
2021-02-15
Melatonin is reported to be related to diabetes mellitus (DM) risk; however, the effect of melatonin on diabetic retinopathy (DR)
2020-09-05
Coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a newly discovered highly pathogenic virus that was declared pandemic in
2020-05-15
This study evaluated the effects of melatonin supplementation on parameters of mental health, glycemic control, markers of cardiometabolic risk, and
2020-04-18
In cancer cells, glucose is primarily metabolized to pyruvate and then to lactate in the cytosol.
2020-03-26
The imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant systems often leads to further oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of both diabetes and
2020-03-21
Our study aimed to assess the impact of one night of slow-wave sleep (SWS) suppression on glucose tolerance, and explore
2020-03-07
The past decade has witnessed a revival of interest in the hormone melatonin, partly attributable to the discovery that genetic
2020-02-02
Obesity is associated with increased general mortality and comorbidities, it is multifactorial and some evidence has shown that sleep duration
2020-01-19
Research indicates that sleep duration and quality are inter-related factors that contribute to obesity, but few studies have focused on
2020-01-08
Disruption to sleep and circadian rhythms can impact on metabolism. The study aimed to investigate the effect of acute sleep
2019-08-26
The Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of cardio-metabolic risk factors and comorbidities conveying high risk of both cardiovascular disease and
2019-07-15
Melatonin, a hormone synthesized by both the pineal gland and retina, functions as an important modulator of a number of
2019-07-01
Last year melatonin was 60 years old, or at least its discovery was 60 years ago. The molecule itself may
2019-06-26
Circadian rhythms (CR) are a series of endogenous autonomous oscillators generated by the molecular circadian clock which acting on coordinating
2019-06-15
The purpose of this review is to provide a brief summary about the current state of knowledge regarding the circadian
2019-06-11
Molecular circadian clocks align daily behavioral and metabolic rhythms with the external day-night cycle. Priming energy metabolism for recurring changes
2019-03-04
Disruption of circadian rhythmicity induced by prolonged light exposure, altered sleep patterns and shift work is associated with the development
2019-02-19
Insulin resistance is a main determinant in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and a major cause of morbidity