April 2023
Minich DM, Henning M, Darley C, Fahoum M, Schuler CB, Frame J. Reply to Pluta, R. Comment on "Minich et al. Is Melatonin the "Next Vitamin D"?: A Review of Emerging Science, Clinical Uses, Safety, and Dietary Supplements. Nutrients 2022, 14, 3934". Nutrients. 2023;15(6):1507. Published 2023 Mar 21. doi:10.3390/nu15061507
Overview
The comprehensive published review article titled, Is Melatonin the "Next Vitamin D"?: A Review of Emerging Science, Clinical Uses, Safety, and Dietary Supplements in the Nutrients journal has had a favorable response after six months with over 16,000 full-text views.
It has garnered attention from other researchers, specifically Dr. Ryszard Pluta at the Laboratory of Ischemic and Neurodegenerative Brain Research of the Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, and Polish Academy of Sciences, who questioned the comparison of melatonin with vitamin D, particularly for brain health, as seen in his published commentary.
Minich et al. responded to his excellent points, reinforcing the similarities between vitamin D and melatonin, including their functions as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and mitochondrial regulator, stating,
"In conclusion, we are grateful to Dr. Pluta for raising the question about the similarities between vitamin D and melatonin and whether the two may be seen as having identical functions, particularly for brain and neurological health. To reiterate, while we would not want to suggest that the two are interchangeable, we documented that they could target common mechanistic pathways underlying the pathologies of several chronic diseases and even foster healthy brain aging."
Article review completed by Kim Ross, DCN
Content reviewed by Deanna Minich, PhD
April 5, 2023