Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces primarily to regulate your sleeping cycles. It is available as a synthetic supplement in pill form and is used by people to help them adjust to jet-lag, by blind individuals who need to establish a firm day-night schedule and by those who have sleeping disorders such as insomnia and delayed sleep phase syndrome. Melatonin's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been investigated for their potential to treat joint pain and arthritis. However, so far the results have yielded the opposite conclusion.
Function of Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that is used to regulate a wide variety of other hormones. It is vital for maintaining your normal sleep cycles and circadian rhythm. When you are exposed to light, you produce less melatonin, and vice versa. In females, melatonin is heavily involved in determining the duration and frequency of menstrual cycles, as well as the beginning and end of menstruation in general. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that may help boost the immune system.
Joint Pain from Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain. Signs of arthritis include joint swelling, impaired ability to move the joint, reddening of skin and stiffness and warmth around the joint. This happens due to the deterioration and breakdown of the protective cartilage surrounding joints, which normally acts as a shock absorber. Without this cartilage, the ends of the bones come into contact and grind against each other, resulting in inflammation and pain.
Types of Arthritis
There are over 100 types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, develops due to natural aging or injury. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by an autoimmune disorder, where your immune system attacks your own body. Infectious arthritis develops when an infection in another part of the body spreads to affect your joint. Treatment for arthritis typically involves exercise, physical therapy and medications such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
Effects of Melatonin on Arthritis
Because of its antioxidants properties, melatonin has been investigated as a potential treatment for inflammation arising from arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis in particular. However, two independent studies published in the October 2007 and May 2008 issues of the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" did not find any beneficial therapeutic effect in arthritis patients after melatonin supplementation. Another clinical study, published in the October 2004 issue of the "Journal of Immunology," found that melatonin may actually promote or aggravate autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
References
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology; "Inflammatory Status and Kynurenine Metabolism in Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Melatonin"; Forrest, Caroline et al; October 2007
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology; "Melatonin Treatment Does Not Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis"; Maestroni, Georges J. et al; May 2008
- Journal of Neuroimmunology; "Does Melatonin Play a Disease-promoting Role in Rheumatoid Arthritis?"; Maestroni, Georges J.M. et al; October 2004
- MedlinePlus: Arthritis; February 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Melatonin; December 2009
