-transparent.png){kind=logo}
We set out to determine the minimum intensity of light able to suppress nocturnal melatonin levels as measured in normal human saliva. Five healthy male volunteers were exposed to light at different intensities (<10, 500, 1000, 2500, and 5000 lux) in a repeated measure design. Suppression of melatonin was dependent on both light intensity and duration of light exposure. Minimum intensities of light suppressing nocturnal melatonin levels were calculated as 393, 366, 339, and 285 lux for exposure durations of 30, 60, 90, and 120 min, respectively. Minimum effective intensity and duration of light exposure showed a linear inverse relationship. These results suggest that less intensity of light than previously reported suffices to suppress melatonin in humans, and that caution is required in interpreting studies using long exposure to dim light as a background condition.
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
August 1984,
Life sciences,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
January 1981,
Vision research,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
January 1995,
Journal of neural transmission. General section,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
February 2002,
Neuroscience research,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
September 2009,
Journal of pineal research,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
August 2007,
Die Naturwissenschaften,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
February 2019,
Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
January 1989,
Journal of pineal research,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
November 2021,
Journal of dairy science,
H Aoki, and
N Yamada, and
Y Ozeki, and
H Yamane, and
N Kato
December 1998,
Anesthesia and analgesia,
