The Melatonin Story
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is situated at the base of the brain. Melatonin is known to act as a natural anti-cancer agent and reduced levels in the body have also been linked to increased risk of depression.
At night the absence of light is registered by the eye, which triggers the pineal gland to increase melatonin production. The nocturnal level is about 70 time higher than that during the day.
Compared with 100 years ago, we are exposed to considerable Light at Night (LAN) - in the evening from indoor lighting and at night-time from street lighting.
The presence of LAN is postulated to reduce nocturnal melatonin levels in the body which may in part be responsible for the significant increase in the incidence of certain cancers seen in recent decades.
Significantly, the presence of elevated magnetic fields has been shown to act in a similar way. There are now at least 9 studies showing that magnetic fields as low as 0.2 �T suppress melatonin production, especially at night.
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