>>139437
I think it's helpful to understand the potential causes of poor posture. In an experiment, melatonin deficiency was induced in mice, and the result was scoliosis, which was prevented 100% of the time with the administration of melatonin.
Machida, Masafumi, et al. "Experimental scoliosis in melatonin‐deficient C57BL/6J mice without pinealectomy." Journal of pineal research 41.1 (2006): 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2005.00312.x
But does this mean melatonin deficiency causes scoliosis? Well, it turns out melatonin is an antioxidant:
Reiter, Russel J. "Functional pleiotropy of the neurohormone melatonin: antioxidant protection and neuroendocrine regulation." Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 16.4 (1995): 383-415.
https://doi.org/10.1006/frne.1995.1014
>Likewise, melatonin was found to also scavenge the peroxyl radical which is generated during lipid peroxidation; in this regard it was roughly twice as effective as vitamin E (α-tocopherol).
It also seems that darkness is a generalized stressor… in plants:
Gogorcena, Yolanda, et al. N2 fixation, carbon metabolism, and oxidative damage in nodules of dark-stressed common bean plants. Plant Physiology 113.4 (1997): 1193-1201.
https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.113.4.1193
But also animals!
Baydas, Giyasettin, et al. Daily rhythm of glutathione peroxidase activity, lipid peroxidation and glutathione levels in tissues of pinealectomized rats. Neuroscience letters 323.3 (2002): 195-198.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00144-1
>Lipid peroxidation levels increased progressively during the night
As melatonin specifically protects against lipid peroxidation, can we find any other antioxidants that prevent scoliosis? Yes, vitamin E, which also protects against lipid peroxidation.
Machlin, L. J., et al. Effects of a prolonged vitamin E deficiency in the rat. The Journal of nutrition 107.7 (1977): 1200-1208.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/107.7.1200
>After 5 months, rats became emaciated and developed kyphoscoliosis.
This means polyunsaturated fats and excess metals such as iron are likely villains in scoliosis, and either deficiencies in antioxidants or too much lipid peroxidation will create scoliosis. But when actual human children with scoliosis were examined instead of mice genetically deficient in melatonin, the children were found to have normal melatonin levels.
Bagnall, Keith M., et al. Melatonin levels in idiopathic scoliosis: diurnal and nocturnal serum melatonin levels in girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine 21.17 (1996): 1974-1978.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8883197
>Whereas pinealectomy in young chickens leads to reduced melatonin levels and the development of scoliosis, the results of this study suggest that melatonin levels in mature patients who already have severe scoliosis do not differ from healthy subjects.
One might assume those mice were kept in an artificially lit laboratory away from the sun, and they probably had a standardized diet containing antioxidants. However, children in general do not have standardized diets, but they do tend to play in the sun. This leads me to believe that darkness and lack of endogenous antioxidants was a causative factor in creating scoliosis in the mice—and lack of dietary antioxidants or too many lipid peroxides in the children. (Although the children may have been saved by avoiding darkness more than than had.) This leads me to believe that any program aimed at healing the posture must first stop doing damage by prolonged darkness, excess polyunsaturated fat and metal (namely iron) intake, and continuing deficiencies in general dietary antioxidants such as vitamin E. Can you straighten up by doing that much? Maybe, maybe not, but if there's a fighting chance, it includes reducing polyunsaturated fat intake to a minimum.