The Best Food Sources of Melatonin

Posted on by Jesse Santiano, M.D.

Melatonin has a profound influence on health. The article, Wake-Up to the Other Benefits Melatonin, the other benefits of melatonin in preventing cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer were listed.

The problem with endogenous melatonin is that melatonin secretion from the pineal gland declines as people get older, and this may explain the onset of more diseases as age advances.

Melatonin Levels at Different Age Groups

In the first six months of life, the melatonin level is 27 pg/mL (picograms/milliliter). It then peaks at 1-3 years of age at 329 pg/mL. There is a massive drop to 62 pg/mL at 15-20 years. Adulthood shows further decline until 70-90 years at 29 pg/mL. As people get older, the pineal gland degenerates.

In this regard, food can be used as a source of melatonin. However, dietary melatonin does not replace or compensate for the role of pineal melatonin in the modulation of the circadian rhythm. But the other benefits of melatonin, like antioxidant properties, are observed.

This article lists the different food sources with the highest content of melatonin. While the units may seem small (nanograms/ mL or gram), keep in mind that the melatonin dose in the body is in the picograms. (1 picogram = 1,000 nanogram)DW means dry weight. FW means fresh weight.

The Top Ten Melatonin Food Rich

  1. Pistachios (Pistacia vera )                                         233,000 ng/g DW
  2. Roasted Coffee Beans arabica                                      9,600 ± 800 ng/g DW
  3. Porcini mushroom                                                         6,800 ± 60 ng/g DW
  4. White mushroom/portabella mushroom                  4,300–6400 ng/g DW
  5. Sprouted Lentils                                                              1,089.8 ng/g DW
  6. Sprouted kidney beans                                                    529.1 ng/g DW
  7. Red rice                                                                               212.01 ± 1.37 ng/g DW
  8. Black Rice                                                                           182.04 ± 1.62 ng/g DW
  9. Tempranillo wine                                                              129.5 ± 3.5 ng/mL 
  10. Wheat                                                                                  124.7 ± 14.9 ng/g FW

800px-Pistachio_nuts_from_Iran

Other Foods High in Melatonin

The other food sources of melatonin are mentioned in this part. They are not as high as the top ten but are included in this article for comparison. Note that:

  • The melatonin in human breast milk follows a circadian pattern.
  • Colored rice has more melatonin than white rice.
  • The more polished the rice, the less melatonin it has.
  • Once a seed has germinated or sprouted, the melatonin content goes sky high.
  • Tomatoes and peppers are runners-up to the mushrooms in melatonin content
  • Green coffee beans (arabica and robusta) have a higher melatonin content than roasted coffee beans.
  • Once the coffee is made into a brew, the content is smaller
  • Green and black tea have nondetectable melatonin content
  • Among the wines, tempranillo is the highest, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon

Animal Sources

Meat

  1. Salmon    3.7 ± 0.21 ng/g
  2. Pork        2.5 ± 0.18 ng/g
  3. Beef         2.1 ± 0.13 ng/g
  4. Lamb       1.6 ± 0.14 ng/g
  5. Raw whole eggs          1.54 ng/g

Milk

  1. Breast milk  0–42 pg/mL
  2. Cow’s Milk 14.45 ± 0.12 pg/mL 

Plant Sources

Cereals and Grains

  1. Black Rice  182.04 ± 1.62 ng/g DW
  2. Red rice      212.01 ± 1.37 ng/g DW
  3. Black glutinous rice    73.81 ± 0.07 ng/g DW
  4. Whole short grain  47.83 ± 0.12 ng/g DW
  5. Whole semi-long grain 42.95 ± 0.64 ng/g DW
  6. Polished short grain 31.99 ±0.31 ng/g DW  
  7. Polished long grain  27.61 ± 1.16 ng/g DW
  8. Wheat      124.7 ± 14.9 ng/g FW
  9. Barley  82.3 ± 6.0 ng/g FW

Legumes

  1. Lentil seeds 0.07 ± 0.01 ng/g DW
  2. Sprouted Lentils  1089.8 ng/g DW
  3. Kidney beans seed L 1.0 ng/g DW
  4. Sprouted kidney beans  529.1 ng/g DW

Nuts

  1. Pistachios    233,000 ng/g DW
  2. Walnuts 1.9 ± 0.4 ng/g FW

Vegetables

  1. Porcini mushroom     6800 ± 60 ng/g DW
  2. White mushroom/portabella mushroom (once mature)  4300–6400 ng/g DW
  3. Tomatoes             14.77 ng/g FW 
  4. Peppers              11.9 ng/g FW  and 93.4 ng/g 

Juices and Beverage

  1. Tempranillo wine  129.5 ± 3.5 ng/mL 
  2. Cabernet Sauvignon 0.32 ng/mL
  3. Merlot                    0.21 ± 0.02 ng/mL
  4. Chardonnay           0.16 ng/mL 

Coffee

  1. Green Coffee arabica  (arabica)                        6800 ± 400 ng/g DW
  2. Roasted Coffea arabica (arabica)                      9600 ± 800 ng/g DW
  3. Decoction (Brew) Coffea arabica  (arabica)          78 ± 5 ng/mL
  4. Tea (green or black)                                                  Not detected

Herbs

  1. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)  4490 ng/g DW in flowers and 1750 ng/g DW in leaves
  2. Feverfew (fresh leaves)  1920–2450 ng/g DW

The next article is all about the care of the pineal gland.

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Don’t Get Sick!

Readings Related to the Circadian Rhythm

  1. The Best Time to Take Statins
  2. Using the Circadian Rhythm for More Effective Blood Pressure Control
  3. The Protective Effects of Sleep and Melatonin on the Stomach
  4. The Circadian Rhythm: Timing is Everything
  5. 30 Ways For a Good Sleep Without Drugs
  6. How Does Sleeping Protect the Brain?
  7. Wake-Up to the Other Benefits Melatonin.
  8. A Study on the Safety of Melatonin Tablets
  9. When is the Best Time for an Allergy Medication?
  10. 25 Stress-Reduction Techniques

References:

  1. Dietary Sources and Bioactivities of Melatonin. Xiao Meng, Ya Li, Sha Li, Yue Zhou, Ren-You Gan, Dong-Ping Xu, Hua-Bin Li. Nutrients. 2017 Apr; 9(4): 367. Published online 2017 Apr 7. doi: 10.3390/nu9040367. PMCID: PMC5409706
  2. Pineal Calcification, Melatonin Production, Aging, Associated Health Consequences, and Rejuvenation of the Pineal Gland. Dun Xian Tan, Bing Xu, Xinjia Zhou, Russel J. Reiter. Molecules. 2018 Feb; 23(2): 301. Published online 2018 Jan 31. doi: 10.3390/molecules23020301. PMCID: PMC6017004

Image Credit:

  • Pistachios from Iran By Amin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67633742

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