How Melatonin – the Hormone Linked to Sleep Could be Key to the Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease

A hormone linked to the human sleep cycle has been identified as a new weapon against Alzheimer’s disease.

A new study has shown that a combination of exercise and a daily intake of melatonin, the natural hormone which causes drowsiness at night, had a positive effect on rodents suffering from the illness.

The research was conducted by the Barcelona Biomedical Research Institute (IIBB), in collaboration with the University of Granada and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

‘For years we have known that the combination of different anti-aging therapies such as physical exercise, a Mediterranean diet, and not smoking adds years to one’s life,’ said Dr Coral Sanfeliu, from the IIBB.

‘Now it seems that melatonin, the sleep hormone, also has important anti-ageing effects’.

In the experiment, mice who had the disease were divided into one control group and three other groups which underwent the treatments of exercising on a running wheel, a dose of melatonin and a combination of the two.

How hormone linked to sleep could be key to the battle against Alzheimer’s disease | Mail Online