1.   Like most animals, we produce melatonin abundantly throughout early life.

2.   Melatonin is produced only at night by the pineal gland, a pea-size organ in the center of the brain.

3.   Scientists know that near dawn and dusk, the clock moderates function of the nearby pineal gland, which produces melatonin, a hormone secreted only at night.

4.   The theory is that women produce melatonin at night, and when melatonin is low the body produces more estrogen, which poses a cancer risk.

5.   Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland during the night.

6.   Without accurate information about day and night, the gland produces melatonin at the wrong time.