A Look at Melatonin: Can It Fight COVID-19?
The search for solutions in the fight against COVID-19 is ongoing. Doctors and researchers are constantly looking for medications and other products that might help the body fight off the virus and its resulting disease. One important area of ongoing research right now is the use of melatonin supplements in preventing individuals from either catching the virus or from becoming seriously ill as a result. How can a simple supplement, widely available over the counter in the United States and around the world, help prevent this deadly disease?
Melatonin and COVID-19
Originally, research into melatonin and its connection to the coronavirus came about when early researchers were looking for any potential clues that might suggest how the virus entered human cells and how it might be stopped. The first to report on the link between melatonin and the coronavirus was Dr. Feixiong Cheng of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute.
Dr. Cheng’s early research was published in Cell Discovery in March 2020, and soon, other scientists were reporting similar observations. In addition to the common uses of melatonin, most commonly as a supplement to aid in sleep, the hormone also plays a role in regulating our immune systems. Specifically, it might help prevent the body’s immune system from overreacting in the fight against an invading virus. This overreaction, commonly termed a cytokine storm, is one of the things that makes COVID-19 so deadly.
Lowered Risk of COVID-19
Research shows there appears to be a link between patients taking melatonin and a lowered risk of contracting COVID-19. Right now, there are eight different clinical trials in process around the world specifically exploring the potential role of melatonin in preventing COVID-19. If the research does back this current hypothesis, individuals could begin taking the supplement right away. Melatonin is relatively cheap and widely available as an over-the-counter sleep aid. Dr. Cheng’s initial research used artificial intelligence to examine nearly 27,000 patients in a COVID-19 registry, and his team found that those who took melatonin were about 28 percent less likely to test positive for the virus.
Cautiously Optimistic
Dr. Cheng cautions that widespread taking of melatonin to fight coronavirus is not something he would recommend right away, however. He notes that this could be a simple spurious connection, or that it could point to another correlation we aren’t yet aware of. For example, the melatonin and COVID-19 connection could be a simple indication that getting a good amount of sleep can help your body fight off the virus.