Although it's considered a health
supplement, melatonin has always seemed a bit more heavyweight
than most such over-the-counter medicines. The original
melatonin craze was fuelled by claims it could be used
to treat a number of sleep disorders, but now, the hormone
is making a comeback. A new study suggests it may protect
against, and even treat, the daddy of all diseases:
cancer.
The history of alternative medicines
laying claim to cancer-fighting properties is mostly
a litany of fraud and exploitation, so melatonin's advocates
will have to overcome a lot of healthy scepticism. But
evidence is mounting that they may really be onto something.
A
SOLID START
The latest comes from a series of ten trials that took
place in Italy and Poland and looked at melatonin as
a complement to standard treatment in a range of solid
tumour cancers. Study author Dr Dugald Seely, a naturopath
and cancer researcher at Sick Children's Hospital in
Toronto, said: "This analysis shows a strong association.
The small number of people needed to treat, low adverse
events reported and low costs related to this intervention
should be of substantial interest to patients, physicians
and policy makers."
The trials collectively measured
12-month survival in a total of 643 patients. Dosages
were much higher than the typical jet-lag pill of one
to five mg, ranging instead from 10-40mg, typically
taken once a day in the evening. The results were published
in the November issue of the Journal of Pineal Research
— an appropriate forum since melatonin in its natural
form is secreted by the pineal gland — and were
surprisingly consistent. Overall, melatonin reduced
the risk of death by 31%.
It should be noted that while the
research is described as a "meta-analysis", it differs
from the typical meta-analysis in that all ten studies
reviewed came from the same group of researchers, a
major weakness which the authors readily acknowledge.
The quality of these trials, in the authors' own estimation,
was "moderate." None were blinded or placebo-controlled.
Nevertheless, encouraged by these findings, Dr Seely
has called for further independent study to confirm
the results.
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