Is melatonin useful in irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome continues to baffle the medical establishment because of lack of effective treatments. Now comes study suggesting that the naturally acting substance (melatonin) helps in ameliorating this vexing problem.
What is melatonin? It is a naturally occurring hormone in all living beings. It is synthesized in the brain (pineal gland), gastrointestinal system and retina from an amino acid tryptophan. In addition to its role in wake-sleep cycle, it is a powerful antioxidant, stimulator of immune system. It is sold over the counter as a natural sleep remedy.
These investigators conducted a randomized controlled trial of the use of melatonin or placebo in 18 patients with IBS. They found that use of melatonin for 8 weeks significantly improved overall IBS score. The extracolonic IBS score was also significantly improved as compared with placebo. In addition, use of melatonin resulted in improvement in quality of life score to 43.63% as compared to 14.64% in placebo group.
Do you or someone you know has IBS? Do you find the currently available treatments effective? Have you ever used any natural remedies for anything including IBS?
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