Low melatonin levels linked to diabetes in women

Women with low levels of melatonin may be more at risk for developing diabetes, a new study reveals.

The hormone linked to sleep regulation, melatonin plays an important role in maintaining the body's natural rhythms. Receptors for melatonin are found all over the body, including the pancreas, suggesting that it might have the ability to impact insulin production.

Predictor of risk

Researchers at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital compared 370 diabetic women to 370 women without the condition. The women gave urine samples to assess baseline melatonin levels, and they also completed surveys about their lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise and sleep patterns.

Even after accounting for these factors, researchers found that women with low melatonin levels were 2.2 times as likely to develop diabetes compared to women with high levels of the hormone.

The researchers expected to find an association between melatonin levels and diabetes, but the study’s lead author, Dr. Ciaran McMullan, said they were surprised by the results.

Causal relationship?

It's unclear whether or not low melatonin levels can actually cause diabetes, so more research is needed before recommending supplements to diabetic patients, McMullan noted.

“What we don’t yet know is whether you can change the risk of diabetes by increasing melatonin secretion,” she wrote.

The research is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Source: NBC News

Get a Free Diabetes Meal Plan

Get a free 7-Day Diabetes Meal Plan from Constance Brown-Riggs who is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and who is also a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Just enter in your email below to download your free Diabetes Meal Plan.

By clicking Submit, you agree to send your info to BattleDiabetes.com who, in addition to 3rd party partners, may contact you with updates, products and information and we agree to use it according to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.

More Articles

More Articles

For decades people with type-1 and advanced type-2 diabetes relied on painful and often flawed insulin injections to regulate blood sugar...

Scientists have discovered that a single gene forms a common link between type 2 diabetes and...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Could a person's risk for type 2 diabetes be written in their genes?

According to a study recently published in ...

Women who frequently shift around their sleeping hours could have worse metabolic health outcomes than their peers who stick with a...

The presence of the hormone leptin may hinder prenatal development, which could explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, according to...

An analysis of fossilized Native American feces shows that our ancestors ate up to sixteen times the fiber that we do today, but our...

Managing diabetes is hugely challenging for people of any age, but a new study suggests that young people may suffer all the more....

Disruptions to the gut’s ecosystem could be a future symptom facing young children who take antibiotics, which makes them more susceptible...

Breastfeeding a newborn holds many benefits for mommy and baby; it reduces the baby's risk for colds and viruses, it helps his bones (and yours)...

Fans of the Dexcom G5 Mobile have something to smile about.

At yesterday's hearing with the U.S. Food and Drug...

If you start your day with a cup of tea and end it with a glass of red wine, your blood sugar may thank you.

At least that...

As medical experts continue to debate whether or not "healthy obesity" can even exist, one new study suggests that risk for heart disease...

For years, type 1 diabetics have been anxiously waiting for that medical marvel that can stop the constant injections: the artificial...