A new international study led by the University of Granada suggests that melatonin, a hormone known for regulating sleep, may also help protect muscles from damage caused by obesity and type 2 diabetes, a condition known as “diabesity.”
The research, published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine and Antioxidants, shows that melatonin can improve muscle composition, boost energy efficiency, and reduce cellular stress.
How Melatonin Helps Muscles
The study, led by Dr. Ahmad Agil, tested melatonin on obese and diabetic rodents for 12 weeks. The results showed that melatonin helped change muscle fibers from glycolytic (fast-twitch) to oxidative (slow-twitch), improving energy production and preventing muscle damage.
This shift allows muscles to burn fat more efficiently, which may reduce obesity and improve overall muscle health.
Skeletal muscle, which makes up more than half of a person’s body weight, is crucial for movement and metabolism. There are three main types of muscle fibers:
- Slow-twitch fibers (Type I, red fibers): These are packed with mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of cells, and are used for endurance activities.
- Fast-twitch fibers (Type IIb, white fibers): These use quick bursts of energy but fatigue quickly.
- Intermediate fibers (Type IIa): These have properties of both slow and fast fibers.
During intense exercise, fast-twitch fibers are more active, while slow-twitch fibers are used for longer, lower-intensity activity. In people with “diabesity,” the balance of these muscle fibers can be disrupted, leading to inefficient energy use and fat storage.
Melatonin restored this balance by increasing slow-twitch fibers and reducing fast-twitch fibers. This effect is similar to the benefits of regular aerobic exercise. Additionally, melatonin improved mitochondrial function, regulated calcium levels in muscle cells, and reduced cell stress, all of which help prevent cell damage.
“We discovered that melatonin restores calcium levels in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, reducing cell damage,” said Dr. Agil.
Could Melatonin Be a Future Treatment?
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are widespread, affecting nearly 900 million and 800 million people worldwide, respectively. These conditions often occur together, increasing the risk of serious health problems. Finding new treatments is critical for improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
Melatonin is already known to be safe and widely used for sleep disorders. This study suggests it might also be useful for improving muscle health in people with metabolic diseases. However, more research is needed to confirm its effects in humans and determine the right dosage.
“If we can prove its effectiveness in human trials, melatonin could become a simple and affordable treatment to help millions of people,” Dr. Agil said.
For now, experts recommend maintaining a balanced lifestyle with regular exercise, healthy eating, and proper sleep to support muscle health and reduce the risks of obesity and diabetes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies about vitamin D and type2 diabetes, and to people with type 2 diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
The research findings can be found in Free Radical Biology and Medicine.
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