Restricted food intake in experimental animals has been found to produce a youthful cycle of melatonin and increase lifespan. There are a number of reasons for these beneficial effects. Animal tests show that there is, in fact, preservation of pineal function with a chronically spartan diet.
In one study, constant food restriction reduced the decline in melatonin and NAT enzyme levels that normally occurs with aging.
At the end of the study, rats that were allowed to eat as much as they wanted had melatonin and NAT levels that were only half of those rats that were rarely fed.
However, both groups of rats showed elevated levels of serotonin in the pineal body.
This research indicates that older animals lose the ability to effectively produce melatonin due to reduced levels of NAT, which is a key enzyme necessary to convert serotonin into melatonin. Eating less often tends to preserve some of the loss of NAT function that occurs with aging.
Not only is abstinence from food beneficial, but fasting itself appears to help preserve pineal body function. Dr. Gerald Huether from the University of Psychiatry in Göttingen, Germany, has comprehensively considered this issue.
His theory is that fasting preserves the pineal body by allowing it to not work as hard, and allowing the intestinal system to take over some of the pineal body's work in producing melatonin.
His theory is convincing, but still, most people wonder how abstaining from food can help the intestinal system to produce more melatonin. Huether hypothesizes that this is due to a relative increase in the amount of tryptophan in the intestine during fasting.
You'll remember that tryptophan is a key amino acid (or protein building block) that the body uses to make melatonin. Many people think that most of the protein our bodies absorb comes from the food we eat. However, in normal situations, two-thirds of the protein digested by the intestine comes from the body itself.
For example, intestinal cells have a very short lifespan, and when they die, they are digested by themselves inside the intestine. Significant amounts of protein-rich mucus are also digested each day. The fact is that these tissues are rich in tryptophan compared to the typical foods we eat, which are a relatively poor source of this amino acid. The result is that the state of starvation provides easier access to tryptophan to these special intestinal cells, on the basis of which they can produce melatonin and relieve the pineal body of part of its work.
We have seen several ways of eating and other actions that can increase the production of melatonin in our body in a natural way.
Some habits will lead to lower melatonin production.
Research indicates that stress and poor coping skills reduce melatonin production. Therefore, finding appropriate mechanisms to cope with and control stress: "Stress without earthquakes", is necessary to achieve the best melatonin levels naturally.
Habits that increase melatonin production
– Increased exposure to natural daylight and what is
possible less exposure to artificial light
– Sleeping in total darkness
- Eating foods rich in melatonin, tryptophan and vitamin B6
– Izbjegavanje nedostatka kalcija
– Limiting food intake
- Practicing fasting, especially at night
Lifestyle factors that reduce melatonin production
- Stress
– Caffeine (halves melatonin production within 6 hours)
– Alcohol (reduction to 41%)
- Tobacco
Kofein treba izbjegavati; on stimulira tjelesni sustav hormona za stres (simpatički živčani sustav) i teži da oslabi proizvodnju melatonina.
It can reduce the production of melatonin for 6 hours. Insomnia and disturbed sleep are usually the result. Perhaps the most commonly used tool used to try to cope with stressful situations around the world is alcohol.
However, alcohol cannot be used as a medicine to improve melatonin production in people under stress. Alcohol reduces melatonin levels.
And only two mixed drinks taken around 7 o'clock in the afternoon can reduce it
production of melatonin during even five or more hours later.
Melatonin production is reduced by up to 41% at midnight. Tobacco seems to be another product that reduces the production of melatonin. Research shows that smokers have lower nighttime melatonin levels than non-smokers.
This may help explain a well-known side effect of smoking: sleep quality suffers.
