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Article: Melatonin is overrated, doctors warn; `Food supplement' has no proven medical value except as aid for sleep, jet lag.(VARIETY)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- July 4, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Before Dr. Theodore Berman flew to Europe recently, he took some melatonin tablets, hoping to lessen the impact of jet lag.
"It seemed to help," said Berman, who is head of the sleep laboratory at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park.
It's not certain, however. Moreover, it might be harmful in too high a dosage, and because it is not regulated, as other hormones are, by the federal government, there is no strict oversight on its manufacture.
Even its beneficial effect on sleep problems is unclear.
"There is a placebo effect in about a third of people who take something for sleep or jet lag," said Dr. Mark Mahowald, Berman's ...