Nocturnal milk

After more than five years of intensive research Munich-based company, Milchkristalle has managed to produce milk with a high level of melatonin. Special food is given to the cows and they are milked at night. Milk crystals - so called Nacht-Milchkristalle - are produced from the night-time milk. They contain 100 times more melatonin than normal milk and can be offered as food in Europe without a prescription.

Melatonin is considered one of the most important interceptors of free radicals. It is used for the treatment of sleeping problems and jet lag; as an anti-ageing substance and to reduce blood pressure. The bodily produced melatonin decreases significantly after the age of 25. As a result the quality of sleep suffers and ageing effects increase. Researchers hope to counter these undesirable effects with melatonin.

To date only pharmaceutically produced melatonin has been available in Europe and its sale is only permitted by prescription. As a result of insufficient bio-availability, high doses of pharmaceutically produced melatonin must be consumed.

"We can get a high concentration naturally in night-time milk," says Tony Gnann, CEO of Milchkristalle in Munich. The company has patented its process and produces night-time milk crystals rich in natural melatonin. These are simply stirred into milk before going to bed. The lowering of the melatonin level due to ageing can therefore be compensated for on a daily basis.

Nature delivers the method for recovering milk melatonin. During the day the cows get a lot of sun or natural light and special herbs in the food. The cows are milked at night when the melatonin concentration of the milk is at its highest.

"The melatonin as contained in the natural matrix of night-time milk crystals is characterised by high bio-availability. So it can not only be absorbed easily but also used even in low physiological doses," explains scientist Dr Heiko Dustmann, owner of the consultating group Innovationsberatung Weihenstephan. The efficacy of the product with naturally higher melatonin levels has been proven to be significant in a placebo controlled double-blind study. More information can be obtained at www.nacht-milchkristalle.de.