Melatonin, a dietary supplement often used by insomnia sufferers, could be used to help prevent or treat COVID-19, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.
The hormone – which regulates the sleep-wake cycle – has been associated with a reduced 30 percent chance of contracting the disease, scientists said in a study published in the journal PLOS Biology, KIRO 7 reported.
Further studies are needed on the over-the-counter supplement, the researchers said.
“It is very important to note that these findings do not suggest that people should start taking melatonin without consulting their doctor,” said lead researcher Feixiong Cheng of the Institute of Genomic Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in a statement. WebMD.
Large-scale observational studies and randomized controlled trials are essential to validate the clinical benefit of melatonin for patients with COVID-19, he added. “But we are delighted with the associations presented in this study and the opportunity to further explore them.”
Cheng and his team used artificial intelligence to go through a COVID-19 registry of nearly 27,000 people at the hospital. They found that people taking melatonin were almost 28% less likely to test positive.
The difference is even more significant in blacks.
Importantly, melatonin use is associated with a 52% reduced probability of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result in African Americans, the study said.
“When we got this result, we were very excited,” Cheng told KIRO 7. “If our findings can help patients, that’s our goal and mission – and at Cleveland Clinic, too.”
The study was published last month, but an article in The Atlantic about the link between coronavirus and sleep sparked new interest in research, the press reported.
“I read the article about melatonin and sleep and I said to myself: ‘I already take melatonin every day! Seattle resident Ruth Harvey told KIRO 7. “I said, ‘It’s great, maybe I’m doing what I need to stay healthy.’ It is very encouraging. “
President Trump also received melatonin – in addition to zinc, vitamin D, famotidine and aspirin – while being hospitalized with COVID-19 in October.
He was treated with experimental polyclonal antibodies, the antiviral drug remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone.
When asked if people taking melatonin are less susceptible to the virus because they sleep better or because of the supplement itself, Cheng said the researchers do not yet know the “exact mechanism.”
“But there are more and more data that support our hypothesis,” he told KIRO 7, adding that studies are increasingly showing that melatonin can help regulate the immune system.
Other studies have also shown that melatonin reduces chronic and acute inflammation, the station reported.
“Melatonin can also help us improve our human body – what we call tolerance. To help us reduce tissue or organ damage induced by COVID infection, ”said Cheng.
Meanwhile, a study of thousands of patients with intubated COVID-19 at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center found that when they were exposed to melatonin after being intubated, they performed better, KIRO reported. 7.
The researchers recommended an additional study based on these findings.
And at the University of Toronto, researchers have found that melatonin can be added to increase the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines, according to News-Medical.net.
Eight clinical trials are underway around the world to see if melatonin results are maintained, according to The Atlantic, which noted that if the widely available sleep hormone proves to help people, it would be the cheapest and most affordable. easily accessible drug to counteract deadly bug.