Melatonin Eases IBS Pain 28479

Melatonin Eases IBS Pain

SINGAPORE--Supplementation with melatonin may decrease abdominal painin sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with sleep disturbances,according to a randomized study published in the May issue of Gut (54,6:1136, 2005).

Forty IBS patients (aged 20 to 64 years) with sleep disturbances wererandomly assigned to receive either 3 mg/d of melatonin or placebo for twoweeks. Subjects answered bowel, sleep and psychological questions, and underwentrecal manometry and overnight polysomnography procedures before and aftertreatment. Researchers found melatonin supplementation significantly decreasedabdominal pain and increased rectal pain threshold. Bloating, stool type, stoolfrequency, anxiety, depression and sleep parameters did not notably differ aftertreatment in either group.

Researchers concluded melatonin alleviates abdominal pain in IBS patientswith sleep disturbance independent of its action on sleep disturbance andpsychology.