Hi again:
I am following up my previous Smoking and Parkinsons article with another
exceprt from a related article from newhope (www.newhope.com). This time
melatonin is described as reducing the previously mentioned hydrogen peroxide.
Ron Reiner ([log in to unmask]) 48 + 9mos
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Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in abundance throughout early
life but to a lesser degree in elderly years. It helps to keep the body in
sync with circadian rhythms--the rhythms of the day and the seasons of the
year. As well as being known as a sleep aid and a help for jet lag, recent
studies suggest that supplemental melatonin is also a powerful brain
antioxidant that may help people to retain their cognitive functions.
Due to its high fat content, the brain is particularly susceptible to attack
by free radicals, and it appears that melatonin is more effective than
vitamins C and E in neutralizing these scavengers.
[This is the good part! Ron]
It also stimulates the primary antioxidant enzyme in the brain, glutathione
peroxidase, which converts destructive hydrogen peroxide (H202) into benign
water (H20).1 According to one researcher who has done extensive studies on
melatonin, "we are currently working under the assumption that melatonin
evolved coincident with aerobic metabolism to specifically protect cells and
organs from the resulting oxidative attack by oxygen-centered radicals."2
