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Related Experiment Videos

Do plasma melatonin concentrations decline with age?

J M Zeitzer1, J E Daniels, J F Duffy

  • 1Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

The American Journal of Medicine
|November 24, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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This study found no significant difference in plasma melatonin levels between healthy older and younger adults. These findings challenge the idea that melatonin naturally declines with age and suggest caution before using melatonin supplements in older individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Gerontology
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Previous research suggested that melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone, decreases with age.
  • This led to recommendations for melatonin replacement therapy for sleep issues in older adults.
  • A reassessment was needed to verify age-related changes in melatonin secretion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the endogenous circadian rhythm of plasma melatonin concentration changes with age in healthy, drug-free adults.
  • To compare melatonin profiles in older and younger healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed plasma melatonin profiles during a constant routine in 34 healthy older adults (65-81 years).
  • Compared these profiles with those of 98 healthy young men (18-30 years).
Keywords:
NASA Discipline Regulatory PhysiologyNASA Program Biomedical Research and CountermeasuresNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessed parameters including 24-hour average concentration, duration, mean, and integrated area of the nocturnal melatonin peak.

    • Main Results:

    • No significant difference was found in the endogenous circadian amplitude of plasma melatonin rhythm between older and younger healthy adults.
    • Key melatonin parameters (24-hour average, duration, mean, nocturnal peak area) showed no significant age-related decline.
    • Specific values: Mean 24-hour average melatonin (70 pmol/L vs 73 pmol/L, P=0.97); Duration (9.3h vs 9.1h, P=0.43).

    Conclusions:

    • The study's results do not support the hypothesis that reduced plasma melatonin is a general characteristic of healthy aging.
    • Clinical use of melatonin replacement therapy or supplementation in older patients should be preceded by an assessment of their endogenous melatonin levels.
    • This approach ensures appropriate treatment decisions for sleep disturbances in the elderly.