The Facts:
* 38 patients with night-time high blood pressure took part in a clinical study to investigate the effects of treatment with melatonin.
* Patients received either controlled release melatonin or a dummy drug before bedtime for 4 weeks.
* Treatment with melatonin resulted in a decrease in blood pressure with the greatest effect being seen between 2am and 5am.
Shaun’s comment: Melatonin is best known for its role in the biological clock. It is secreted from the pineal gland, which is the size of a pea and sits in the middle of the brain. Some people have high blood pressure particularly at night and this study looked at the effect of melatonin. The results were very exciting in that they were clinically significant (resulted in a decrease in blood pressure that is big enough to be important) and also statistically significant (the results were unlikely to be due to chance).
Study reference:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.02.002
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