Melatonin Increases Brown Adipose Tissue Volume and Activity in Patients With Melatonin Deficiency: A Proof-of-Concept Study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin replacement on brown adipose tissue (BAT) volume, activity, and blood lipid levels in patients with melatonin deficiency.
Results Summary
Melatonin replacement increased BAT volume and activity and improved total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but did not significantly affect body weight, liver fat, or HDL and LDL levels. Fasting insulin levels and HOMA of insulin resistance decreased, though not statistically significantly.
Population
Patients with melatonin deficiency due to radiotherapy or surgical removal of the pineal gland (n=4).
Effective Dosage
3 mg daily
Duration
3 months
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin supplementation | increase | brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass | hibernating animals | - | increase | #1 |
a short photoperiod | increase | brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass | hibernating animals | - | increase | #2 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | increase | BAT volume and activity | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | - | presented increased | #3 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | decrease | total cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | - | found an improvement in | #4 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | no change | body weight | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | no significant change | without significant effects on | #5 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | no change | liver fat | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | no significant change | without significant effects on | #6 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | no change | HDL and LDL levels | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | no significant change | without significant effects on | #7 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | decrease | fasting insulin levels | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | - | decreased | #8 |
daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months | decrease | HOMA of insulin resistance | patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) | - | decreased | #9 |
Melatonin, a pineal hormone synthesized at night, is critical for the synchronization of circadian and seasonal rhythms, being a key regulator of energy metabolism in many animal species. Although studies in humans are lacking, several reports, mainly on hibernating animals, demonstrated that melatonin supplementation and a short photoperiod increase brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass. The present proof-of-concept study is the first, to our knowledge, to evaluate BAT in patients with melatonin deficiency (radiotherapy or surgical removal of pineal gland) before and after daily melatonin (3 mg) replacement for 3 months. All four studied patients presented increased BAT volume and activity measured by positron emission tomography-MRI. We also found an improvement in total cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels without significant effects on body weight, liver fat, and HDL and LDL levels. Albeit not statistically significant, fasting insulin levels and HOMA of insulin resistance decreased in all four patients. The present results show that oral melatonin replacement increases BAT volume and activity and improves blood lipid levels in patients with melatonin deficiency, suggesting that melatonin is a possible BAT activator. Future studies are warranted because hypomelatoninemia is usually present in aging and appears as a result of light-at-night exposure and/or the use of β-blocker drugs.