The fourth supplement is melatonin. This one might be a surprise because melatonin helps us fall asleep. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. It is usually produced when light is not detected by the retina. Melatonin was first found by American physician Aaron B. Lerner in 1958 at Yale University School of Medicine.
| Foods Rich In Melatonin |
| * Turkey * Chicken * Tart Cherries * Goji Berries * Pistachios * Almonds |
Another way is to decrease screen time because the artificial light from devices increases melatonin production. Since melatonin production is relative to light, it is the highest around 2:00am – 4:00am and is generally lower during the day time. This also means that during seasons such as the fall and the winter, there is less sunlight which means that there is more melatonin production. Melatonin production tends to decline with age.
Melatonin becomes unstable when it is exposed to light and oxygen. Its ideal temperature is at 16-18°C or 60-65°F. The optimum time to take melatonin is one hour before going to bed.
A decrease in melatonin activates the hypothalamic pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This results in the starting of puberty. People can supplement with melatonin after puberty and it doesn’t have a negative effect on humans. If you take too much melatonin, it can have the opposite effect. An overdose of melatonin can disrupt the circadian rhythm.
Melatonin protects mitochondrial functions by protecting against reactive oxidative species (ROS) and stopping the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) and activating uncoupling proteins or UCPs. The MPTP is a membrane that allows molecules and protons to enter the mitochondria. When this membrane is removed, it leads to the mitochondrial matrix swelling and it leads to cell death. UCPs are mitochondrial proteins that transport protons or regulate channels. Additionally, by activating the UCPs, melatonin is able to accelerate the electron transport chain, reduce ROS and cellular damage. By activating the UCPs, protons shuttle to the matrix and lower the membrane potential which accelerates electron transport in the ETC. There will be an article that goes into more detail on MPTP.
Melatonin also decreases the mitochondrial oxidative stress by increasing the activity of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation enzymes (OXPHOS). OXPHOS enzymes are the four complexes of the electron transport chain. In a study conducted with rat liver and brain mitochondria in vitro, the activity of OXPHOS were studied. From the study, melatonin increases activity in complexes I and IV. Melatonin specifically increases the activity of the mitochondrial OXPHOS enzymes NADH-coenzyme Q reductase (complex I) and cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV). From the study, 100 nM of melatonin increased the ATP production in the rat liver by 46%.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1357272501001388?via=ihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561418324269