Modern living is associated with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sleep
disturbances such as insomnia or frequent awakenings are strong risk factors for T2DM with
several studies indicating a central role of melatonin. Additionally, a certain single
nucleotide polymorphism in the melatonin receptor gene, MTNR1B rs10830963, with an allele
frequency of 30 %, is associated with increased fasting plasma glucose and T2DM. Due to
treatment of, among other things, insomnia, the use of melatonin is increasing rapidly in
Denmark with a 100-fold increase from 2007-2012 in children and adolescents. No previous
studies have thoroughly assessed changes in glucose and fatty acid metabolism after 3 months
of melatonin treatment in patients with T2DM.