Taking melatonin can help lower the risk of cancer for some, scientists say

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Taking melatonin could help night shift workers avoid cancer, researchers said Monday. open image in gallery Researchers said Monday that taking melatonin supplements could be beneficial to people who frequently work night shifts. “These findings are consistent with our previous observational studies in which night shift workers during their day sleep and night work periods, when they had low circulating levels of melatonin, excreted significantly less 8-OH-dG in urine relative to their night sleep periods on their days off when they had much higher circulating levels of melatonin,” they wrote. Symptoms include dizziness and nausea “Assessing long-term efficacy is critical since those who work night shifts for many years would need to consistently consume melatonin supplements over that time frame to maximize the potential cancer prevention benefits,” they said.