End Fatigue

Treating Indigestion With Melatonin

In a placebo-controlled study involving 60 patients with indigestion and no Helicobacter pylori infection, results indicate that supplementation with melatonin may exert a therapeutic effect. The participants were assigned to daily supplementation with 5 mg of melatonin (n=30) or placebo (n=30) for a period of 12 weeks. At intervention end, indigestion symptoms completely resolved in 17 patients in the melatonin group. An additional 9 patients in the melatonin group showed improvement in the frequency and intensity of nocturnal pain. On the other hand, most patients in the placebo group did not experience any improvement in symptoms. The study concluded that "Melatonin can be considered as an auxiliary drug in the treatment of ulcerlike dyspepsia."

Reference: Klupinska G, Blasiak J, et al "Therapeutic effect of melatonin in patients with functional dyspepsia,", J Clin Gastroenterol, 2007; 41(3): 270-4.