Melatonin gummies are putting children at high levels of hormones.
According to a study conducted at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, sleep aid gummies that advertise melatonin may contain excessive amounts of the hormone, which is considerably more than what the manufacturers claim.
Melatonin supplements are increasingly popular among American consumers as a treatment for sleep disorders due to their role in regulating circadian rhythms.
In 2020, sales of these supplements amounted to $821 million.
Melatonin gummies are risking the health of children
The study, published in the JAMA Open Network on Tuesday, was led by Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine and an internist at the Cambridge Health Alliance who is an expert on the supplements industry.
As per CNN, Dr. Cohen expressed concern that gummy supplements may attract young children due to their resemblance to candy. He also speculated whether there was any connection between the products and the increasing number of calls made to poison control centers.
Dr. Cohen and his team tested 25 varieties of gummy vitamins for sleep. They found that many of them contained higher-than-advertised doses of melatonin and cannabidiol (CBD), which is derived from the federally prohibited cannabis plant.
As reported by the New York Post, the research team utilized the National Institutes of Health's Dietary Supplement Label Database to pinpoint gummies that contain melatonin and CBD, which are used as sleep aids.
The study revealed that one brand had over 300% more melatonin than advertised per serving, while most of the other brands were labeled inaccurately.
The authors of the study cautioned that this could pose a serious threat to children, who could ingest these supplements both intentionally and unintentionally.
The lack of industry-wide standards for serving sizes, doses of dietary supplements, and quality control is a concern, as manufacturers are responsible for ensuring the safety and efficacy of their products without pre-market vetting by regulatory agencies.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a significant rise in the unintentional ingestion of melatonin among children from 2012 to 2021, with a 530% increase observed.
Why is melatonin not advisable for children?
The CDC has stated that melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. It is used as a therapeutic aid for sleep disorders in both adults and children, and various synthetic melatonin supplements are available over-the-counter in the United States.
However, studies have found that the benefits of melatonin for inducing sleep are small, and its use can result in side effects such as bedwetting, drowsiness, headaches, and agitation in children.
The FDA regulates melatonin as a dietary supplement, meaning it is not subject to the same rigorous testing as prescription drugs. This lack of regulation also means that the actual amount of melatonin in supplements may not match the label, as seen in a recent study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Additionally, the long-term effects of melatonin use in children are not well understood, and there is a risk of affecting hormonal development, including puberty and menstrual cycles.
According to Harvard Health, while melatonin may be helpful for some children with specific medical conditions, most children do not need it to get a good night's sleep.
Before turning to supplements, parents can try strategies such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule, ensuring daily exercise, and limiting screen time, as blue light from screens can interfere with sleep.
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