Many unsubstantiated claims are made about the pineal gland. It is an area of the brain that generates much interest among different religious, spiritual, esoteric and occultist groups. Despite this, there is no scientific evidence to support any of the esoteric claims made about the pineal gland, bar its well-known role in dictating circadian rhythms, via the secretion of the beneficial neurohormone melatonin. This includes its potential link to DMT, as speculated by Dr Rick Strassman from his research on the substance; however evidence for such a link in humans is currently lacking. Given its location at the base of the brain, it makes its study in live humans obviously very difficult and problematic indeed.
Melatonin is important for health. Many of us are melatonin depleted, due to the effects of artificial lighting and using phones, computers of tablets too close to bed time (the white LED light from these is particularly detrimental for melatonin production). Melatonin doesn’t just regulate our wake-sleep cycles…it has been found to act as a powerful antioxidant and cellular DNA protector, and in this fashion may act as an endogenous anti-cancer compound. It has also been linked to neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the brain, and both melatonin levels (perhaps due to pineal calcification) and rates of neurogenesis tend to decline as we age. People don’t really consider lighting as a potentially damaging pollutant, but it certainly has the potential to be at certain times. People should cease using all computers, phones and other technology a few hours before retiring. Candle light is a very soothing light which does not impact melatonin production, so well suited for the evening.
This is an area where there are a lot of smoky claims made, so I thought it would be interesting to have a look at what the science done to date is suggesting, and I thought this may be interest to others too as this does have potential health implications.
It seems that pineal glands are calcified in a large proportion of the population, and that this increases with age.[1]
"Out of the 500 patients evaluated, 176 had evidence of intracranial physiological calcification (35.2% prevalence)... The majority of calcifications appeared in the pineal/habenular region (80%), with some also appearing in the choroid plexus region bilaterally (12%)..."
It appears that the degree of pineal gland calcification (DOC) is linked to a decreased capacity of the pineal gland to produce melatonin and may lead to an associated decrease in functioning pinealocytes.[2]
"These results suggest that DOC might be useful as an indicator of an intra-individual, decreased capability of the pineal gland to produce melatonin."
Degree of pineal calcification is also linked to sleep disturbance, particularly of REM sleep.[3]
"DOC was negatively associated with REM sleep percentage, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency. ... DOC appears to be a superior indicator of melatonin deficit compared to the absolute amount of melatonin in the circulation."
Pineal calcification may be a risk factor for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage.[4]
"There were 2140 CT scans of the brains during the study period. Of those, 1071 scans (50.05%) met the study criteria. Intracerebral hemorrhage and pineal calcification were found in 77 (7.2%) and 689 (64.3%) patients, respectively. Pineal calcification was a significant risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.36 (95% confidence interval of 1.22-4.54). Other significant factors were age>50 years, hypertension, and diabetes. ...Pineal calcification is associated with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage."
Disruption of melatonin production has been linked with aging and Alzheimer's disease.[5]
"Reactivation of the circadian system (retina-SCN-pineal pathway) by means of light therapy and melatonin supplementation, to restore the circadian rhythm and to relieve the clinical circadian disturbances, has shown promising positive results."
As well as its role in regulating circadian rhythms and acting as a cellular DNA protector and antioxidant, melatonin also plays a key role in promoting and maintaining neurogenesis in the brain.[6],[7]
Pineal calcification (PC) may also play a role in the fatigue suffered by multiple sclerosis sufferers via the negative impact on melatonin production.[8]
"Furthermore, since the process of PC has been linked to past secretory activity of the gland, our findings add further support implicating the pineal gland and melatonin secretion in the pathogenesis of MS and provide an indirect evidence that the fatigue of MS is associated with alterations in pineal melatonin functions."
Pineal calcification has also been linked to a defective sense of direction.[9]
"This difference was highly significant (p less than 0.01). A smaller parallel study in pigeons showed that pineal calcification also leads to a reduction in homing abilities. The findings suggested that the pineal gland plays an important part in directional sense and that damage to the gland, as indicated by calcification, causes defective sense of direction - perhaps by altering the intrinsic intracranial electromagnetic environment and thus affecting the magnetite response mechanism."
Fluoride has also been implicated in accumulating in pineal gland tissue.[10],[11]
"The pineal gland is a mineralizing tissue. Its calcified concretions range from a few micrometres to several millimetres in diameter. ... It is generally agreed that the blood-brain barrier restricts the passage of fluoride into the central nervous system. The human pineal gland is outside the blood-brain barrier. It is one of a few unique regions in the brain (all midline structures bordering the third and fourth ventricles) where the blood-brain barrier is weak. Cells in these regions require direct and unimpeded contact with blood. Therefore, pinealocytes have free access to fluoride in the bloodstream. This fact, coupled with the presence of HA [hydroxyapatite], suggest that the pineal gland may sequester fluoride from the bloodstream. ... In conclusion, this study presented evidence that fluoride readily accumulates in the aged pineal."[11]
Fluoride’s actions on the pineal may also lead to an accelerated sexual maturation in females, with animal studies indicative of this, with some evidence to suggest that this may also apply to humans, in areas of fluoridated water. This is important as it may come with health consequences, such as a greater risk of breast cancer.[12],[13]
It is worth noting that other compounds such as pinoline may be made in the pineal (although the science isn't clear on this), and it is unknown what effect pineal calcification may have on secretion of other pineal metabolites. Pinoline, like melatonin, may play a role in maintaining and augmenting neurogenesis in the brain.[14] It is worth remembering that the pineal gland is more sensitive than other parts of the brain to mineralisation as it lies outside of the blood-brain barrier unlike the rest of the brain. It is worth remembering that just because a portion of the pineal gland may be calcified does not mean by extension that this part of the gland is rendered inactive.
Both meditation[15],[16] and yogic practices[17] have been implicated with increases in melatonin production, and exogenous melatonin can be obtained through diet[18] but as far as I'm aware there is no sound science yet to back up these pineal gland detox diets to decalcify the gland. So if people do desire to activate their pineal glands, meditation and yoga may be better approaches. I'm not saying these pineal detox diets aren't worth thinking about by any means, but important to distinguish between what is known and what is speculation.
References
1. Sedghizadeh, P.P., Nguyen, M. & Enciso, R. (2012) Intracranial physiological calcifications evaluated with cone beam CT. Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, 41, (8), 675–678.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Kunz, D., Schmitz, S., Mahlberg, R., Mohr, A., Stöter, C., Wolf, K.J. & Herrmann, W.M. (1999) A new concept for melatonin deficit: on pineal calcification and melatonin excretion. Neuropsychopharmacology, 21, (6), 765-772.
A new concept for melatonin deficit: on pineal calcification and melatonin excretion - PubMed
3. Mahlberg, R., Kienast, T., Hädel, S., Heidenreich, J.O., Schmitz, S. & Kunz, D. (2009) Degree of pineal calcification (DOC) is associated with polysomnographic sleep measures in primary insomnia patients. Sleep Medicine, 10, (4), 439-445.
Degree of pineal calcification (DOC) is associated with polysomnographic sleep measures in primary insomnia patients - PubMed
4. Kitkhuandee, A., Sawanyawisuth, K., Johns J., Kanpittaya, J., Tuntapakul, S. & Johns N.P. (2014) Pineal calcification is a novel risk factor for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 121, 51-54.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Wu, Y.H. & Swaab, D.F. (2005) The human pineal gland and melatonin in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Pineal Research, 38, (3), 145-152.
The human pineal gland and melatonin in aging and Alzheimer's disease - PubMed
6. Sarlak, G., Jenwitheesuk, A., Chetsawang, B. & Govitrapong, P.(2013) Effects of melatonin on nervous system aging: neurogenesis and neurodegeneration. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences, 123, (1), 9-24.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. Ramírez-Rodríguez, G., Klempin, F., Babu, H., Benítez-King, G. & Kempermann, G. (2009) Melatonin modulates cell survival of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult mice. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34, (9), 2180-2191.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. Sandyk, R. & Awerbuch, G.I. (1994) Pineal Calcification and its Relationship to the Fatigue of Multiple Sclerosis. International Journal of Neuroscience, 74, 1-4, 95-103.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9. Bayliss, C.R., Bishop, N.L. & Fowler, R.C. (1985) Pineal gland calcification and defective sense of direction. British medical journal (Clinical research ed.), 291, (6511), 1758–1759.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10. Luke, J.A. (1997) The effect of fluoride on the physiology of the pineal gland. PhD Thesis, University of Surrey.
http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/895/1/fulltext.pdf
11. Luke, J.A. (2001) Fluoride deposition in the aged human pineal gland. Caries Research, 35, (2), 125-128.
Fluoride deposition in the aged human pineal gland - PubMed
12. Schlesinger, E.R., Overton, D.E., Chase, H.C. & Cantwell, K.T. (1956) Newburgh-Kingston caries fluorine study. XIII. Pediatric findings after ten years. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 52, (3), 296-306.
13. Farkas, G., Fazekas, A. & Szekeres, E. (1983). The fluoride content of drinking water and menarcheal age. Acta Univ Szeged Acta Biol., 29, (1-4), 159-168.
14. de la Fuente Revenga, M., Pérez, C., Morales-Garcia, J.A., Alonso-Gil, S., Pérez-Castillo, A., Caignard, D.H., Yáñez, M., Gamo, A.M. & Rodriguez-Franco, M.I. (2015) Neurogenic Potential Assessment and Pharmacological Characterization of 6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (Pinoline) and Melatonin-Pinoline Hybrids. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 6, (5), 800-810.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
15. Tooley, A. Armstrong, S. M., Norman, T. R. & Sali, A. (2000) Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation. Biological Psychology, 53, (1), 69–78, 2000
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
16. Solberg, E.E., Holen, A., Ekeberg, Ø., Østerud, B., Halvorsen, R. & Sandvik, L. (2004) The effects of long meditation on plasma melatonin and blood serotonin. Medical science monitor: international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 10, (3), CR96-101.
The effects of long meditation on plasma melatonin and blood serotonin - PubMed
17. Harinath, K., Malhotra, A.S., Pal, K., Prasad, R., Kumar, R., Kain, T.C., Rai, L. & Sawhney, R.C. (2004) Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10, (2), 261-268.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
18. Sae-Teaw, M., Johns, J., Johns, N.P. & Subongkot, S. (2012) Serum melatonin levels and antioxidant capacities after consumption of pineapple, orange, or banana by healthy male volunteers. Journal of Pineal Research, 55, (1), 58–64.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Melatonin is important for health. Many of us are melatonin depleted, due to the effects of artificial lighting and using phones, computers of tablets too close to bed time (the white LED light from these is particularly detrimental for melatonin production). Melatonin doesn’t just regulate our wake-sleep cycles…it has been found to act as a powerful antioxidant and cellular DNA protector, and in this fashion may act as an endogenous anti-cancer compound. It has also been linked to neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the brain, and both melatonin levels (perhaps due to pineal calcification) and rates of neurogenesis tend to decline as we age. People don’t really consider lighting as a potentially damaging pollutant, but it certainly has the potential to be at certain times. People should cease using all computers, phones and other technology a few hours before retiring. Candle light is a very soothing light which does not impact melatonin production, so well suited for the evening.
This is an area where there are a lot of smoky claims made, so I thought it would be interesting to have a look at what the science done to date is suggesting, and I thought this may be interest to others too as this does have potential health implications.
It seems that pineal glands are calcified in a large proportion of the population, and that this increases with age.[1]
"Out of the 500 patients evaluated, 176 had evidence of intracranial physiological calcification (35.2% prevalence)... The majority of calcifications appeared in the pineal/habenular region (80%), with some also appearing in the choroid plexus region bilaterally (12%)..."
It appears that the degree of pineal gland calcification (DOC) is linked to a decreased capacity of the pineal gland to produce melatonin and may lead to an associated decrease in functioning pinealocytes.[2]
"These results suggest that DOC might be useful as an indicator of an intra-individual, decreased capability of the pineal gland to produce melatonin."
Degree of pineal calcification is also linked to sleep disturbance, particularly of REM sleep.[3]
"DOC was negatively associated with REM sleep percentage, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency. ... DOC appears to be a superior indicator of melatonin deficit compared to the absolute amount of melatonin in the circulation."
Pineal calcification may be a risk factor for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage.[4]
"There were 2140 CT scans of the brains during the study period. Of those, 1071 scans (50.05%) met the study criteria. Intracerebral hemorrhage and pineal calcification were found in 77 (7.2%) and 689 (64.3%) patients, respectively. Pineal calcification was a significant risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.36 (95% confidence interval of 1.22-4.54). Other significant factors were age>50 years, hypertension, and diabetes. ...Pineal calcification is associated with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage."
Disruption of melatonin production has been linked with aging and Alzheimer's disease.[5]
"Reactivation of the circadian system (retina-SCN-pineal pathway) by means of light therapy and melatonin supplementation, to restore the circadian rhythm and to relieve the clinical circadian disturbances, has shown promising positive results."
As well as its role in regulating circadian rhythms and acting as a cellular DNA protector and antioxidant, melatonin also plays a key role in promoting and maintaining neurogenesis in the brain.[6],[7]
Pineal calcification (PC) may also play a role in the fatigue suffered by multiple sclerosis sufferers via the negative impact on melatonin production.[8]
"Furthermore, since the process of PC has been linked to past secretory activity of the gland, our findings add further support implicating the pineal gland and melatonin secretion in the pathogenesis of MS and provide an indirect evidence that the fatigue of MS is associated with alterations in pineal melatonin functions."
Pineal calcification has also been linked to a defective sense of direction.[9]
"This difference was highly significant (p less than 0.01). A smaller parallel study in pigeons showed that pineal calcification also leads to a reduction in homing abilities. The findings suggested that the pineal gland plays an important part in directional sense and that damage to the gland, as indicated by calcification, causes defective sense of direction - perhaps by altering the intrinsic intracranial electromagnetic environment and thus affecting the magnetite response mechanism."
Fluoride has also been implicated in accumulating in pineal gland tissue.[10],[11]
"The pineal gland is a mineralizing tissue. Its calcified concretions range from a few micrometres to several millimetres in diameter. ... It is generally agreed that the blood-brain barrier restricts the passage of fluoride into the central nervous system. The human pineal gland is outside the blood-brain barrier. It is one of a few unique regions in the brain (all midline structures bordering the third and fourth ventricles) where the blood-brain barrier is weak. Cells in these regions require direct and unimpeded contact with blood. Therefore, pinealocytes have free access to fluoride in the bloodstream. This fact, coupled with the presence of HA [hydroxyapatite], suggest that the pineal gland may sequester fluoride from the bloodstream. ... In conclusion, this study presented evidence that fluoride readily accumulates in the aged pineal."[11]
Fluoride’s actions on the pineal may also lead to an accelerated sexual maturation in females, with animal studies indicative of this, with some evidence to suggest that this may also apply to humans, in areas of fluoridated water. This is important as it may come with health consequences, such as a greater risk of breast cancer.[12],[13]
It is worth noting that other compounds such as pinoline may be made in the pineal (although the science isn't clear on this), and it is unknown what effect pineal calcification may have on secretion of other pineal metabolites. Pinoline, like melatonin, may play a role in maintaining and augmenting neurogenesis in the brain.[14] It is worth remembering that the pineal gland is more sensitive than other parts of the brain to mineralisation as it lies outside of the blood-brain barrier unlike the rest of the brain. It is worth remembering that just because a portion of the pineal gland may be calcified does not mean by extension that this part of the gland is rendered inactive.
Both meditation[15],[16] and yogic practices[17] have been implicated with increases in melatonin production, and exogenous melatonin can be obtained through diet[18] but as far as I'm aware there is no sound science yet to back up these pineal gland detox diets to decalcify the gland. So if people do desire to activate their pineal glands, meditation and yoga may be better approaches. I'm not saying these pineal detox diets aren't worth thinking about by any means, but important to distinguish between what is known and what is speculation.
References
1. Sedghizadeh, P.P., Nguyen, M. & Enciso, R. (2012) Intracranial physiological calcifications evaluated with cone beam CT. Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, 41, (8), 675–678.
Intracranial physiological calcifications evaluated with cone beam CT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate cone beam CT (CBCT) scans for the presence of physiological and pathological intracranial calcifications.CBCT scans from male and female patients that met our ascertainment criteria were evaluated retrospectively ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Kunz, D., Schmitz, S., Mahlberg, R., Mohr, A., Stöter, C., Wolf, K.J. & Herrmann, W.M. (1999) A new concept for melatonin deficit: on pineal calcification and melatonin excretion. Neuropsychopharmacology, 21, (6), 765-772.
A new concept for melatonin deficit: on pineal calcification and melatonin excretion - PubMed
3. Mahlberg, R., Kienast, T., Hädel, S., Heidenreich, J.O., Schmitz, S. & Kunz, D. (2009) Degree of pineal calcification (DOC) is associated with polysomnographic sleep measures in primary insomnia patients. Sleep Medicine, 10, (4), 439-445.
Degree of pineal calcification (DOC) is associated with polysomnographic sleep measures in primary insomnia patients - PubMed
4. Kitkhuandee, A., Sawanyawisuth, K., Johns J., Kanpittaya, J., Tuntapakul, S. & Johns N.P. (2014) Pineal calcification is a novel risk factor for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 121, 51-54.
Pineal calcification is a novel risk factor for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage - PubMed
Pineal calcification is associated with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Wu, Y.H. & Swaab, D.F. (2005) The human pineal gland and melatonin in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Pineal Research, 38, (3), 145-152.
The human pineal gland and melatonin in aging and Alzheimer's disease - PubMed
6. Sarlak, G., Jenwitheesuk, A., Chetsawang, B. & Govitrapong, P.(2013) Effects of melatonin on nervous system aging: neurogenesis and neurodegeneration. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences, 123, (1), 9-24.
Effects of melatonin on nervous system aging: neurogenesis and neurodegeneration - PubMed
Neural aging as a progressive loss of function involves central and peripheral post-mitotic neurons and neural stem cells (NSCs). It promotes neurodegeneration, impairs neurogenesis, and can be considered a cause of cognitive impairment and sensory and motor deficits in the elderly. Age-related...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. Ramírez-Rodríguez, G., Klempin, F., Babu, H., Benítez-King, G. & Kempermann, G. (2009) Melatonin modulates cell survival of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult mice. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34, (9), 2180-2191.
Melatonin modulates cell survival of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult mice - PubMed
Regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis is influenced by circadian rhythm, affected by the manipulation of sleep, and is disturbed in animal models of affective disorders. These observations and the link between dysregulation of the circadian production of melatonin and neuropsychiatric...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. Sandyk, R. & Awerbuch, G.I. (1994) Pineal Calcification and its Relationship to the Fatigue of Multiple Sclerosis. International Journal of Neuroscience, 74, 1-4, 95-103.
Pineal calcification and its relationship to the fatigue of multiple sclerosis - PubMed
Fatigue is one of the most common clinical features of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is a frequent cause of disability. The pathogenesis of fatigue remains obscure. It may result from impaired propagation of action potentials in areas of demyelination. Other contributors may be mental depression...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9. Bayliss, C.R., Bishop, N.L. & Fowler, R.C. (1985) Pineal gland calcification and defective sense of direction. British medical journal (Clinical research ed.), 291, (6511), 1758–1759.
Pineal gland calcification and defective sense of direction.
Calcification of the pineal gland is shown to be closely related to defective sense of direction. In a tricentre prospective study of 750 patients lateral skull radiographs showed that 394 had calcified pineal glands. Sense of direction was assessed by ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10. Luke, J.A. (1997) The effect of fluoride on the physiology of the pineal gland. PhD Thesis, University of Surrey.
http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/895/1/fulltext.pdf
11. Luke, J.A. (2001) Fluoride deposition in the aged human pineal gland. Caries Research, 35, (2), 125-128.
Fluoride deposition in the aged human pineal gland - PubMed
12. Schlesinger, E.R., Overton, D.E., Chase, H.C. & Cantwell, K.T. (1956) Newburgh-Kingston caries fluorine study. XIII. Pediatric findings after ten years. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 52, (3), 296-306.
13. Farkas, G., Fazekas, A. & Szekeres, E. (1983). The fluoride content of drinking water and menarcheal age. Acta Univ Szeged Acta Biol., 29, (1-4), 159-168.
14. de la Fuente Revenga, M., Pérez, C., Morales-Garcia, J.A., Alonso-Gil, S., Pérez-Castillo, A., Caignard, D.H., Yáñez, M., Gamo, A.M. & Rodriguez-Franco, M.I. (2015) Neurogenic Potential Assessment and Pharmacological Characterization of 6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (Pinoline) and Melatonin-Pinoline Hybrids. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 6, (5), 800-810.
Neurogenic Potential Assessment and Pharmacological Characterization of 6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (Pinoline) and Melatonin-Pinoline Hybrids - PubMed
6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (pinoline) and N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (melatonin) are both structurally related to 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). Here we describe the design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of melatonin rigid analogues resulting from the...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
15. Tooley, A. Armstrong, S. M., Norman, T. R. & Sali, A. (2000) Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation. Biological Psychology, 53, (1), 69–78, 2000
Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation - PubMed
To determine whether a period of meditation could influence melatonin levels, two groups of meditators were tested in a repeated measures design for changes in plasma melatonin levels at midnight. Experienced meditators practising either TM-Sidhi or another internationally well known form of...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
16. Solberg, E.E., Holen, A., Ekeberg, Ø., Østerud, B., Halvorsen, R. & Sandvik, L. (2004) The effects of long meditation on plasma melatonin and blood serotonin. Medical science monitor: international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 10, (3), CR96-101.
The effects of long meditation on plasma melatonin and blood serotonin - PubMed
17. Harinath, K., Malhotra, A.S., Pal, K., Prasad, R., Kumar, R., Kain, T.C., Rai, L. & Sawhney, R.C. (2004) Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10, (2), 261-268.
Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion - PubMed
These observations suggest that yogic practices can be used as psychophysiologic stimuli to increase endogenous secretion of melatonin, which, in turn, might be responsible for improved sense of well-being.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
18. Sae-Teaw, M., Johns, J., Johns, N.P. & Subongkot, S. (2012) Serum melatonin levels and antioxidant capacities after consumption of pineapple, orange, or banana by healthy male volunteers. Journal of Pineal Research, 55, (1), 58–64.
Serum melatonin levels and antioxidant capacities after consumption of pineapple, orange, or banana by healthy male volunteers - PubMed
Melatonin is a naturally occurring molecule biosynthesized by the pineal gland of vertebrates; it also has been identified in many plants. It is considered an important antioxidant and may retard the development of some neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Previous studies in humans have...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
