A recent study testing two dozen melatonin gummies marketed for sleep aid has revealed alarming inconsistencies in their melatonin content, with one product containing 347% more melatonin than its label stated, according to Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts.
The study also uncovered deceptive labeling practices. “One of the products advertised as containing melatonin did not have any; instead, it contained only cannabidiol (CBD),” said Cohen. This is particularly concerning since, as per the US Food and Drug Administration, it is illegal to market CBD in food products or as a dietary supplement, yet several products in the study claimed to include CBD.
“Test results showed that four products had CBD levels 4% to 18% higher than what was listed on the labels,” Cohen added.
Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, a pediatrics professor at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington, expressed concerns about parents unknowingly giving these products to children. She highlighted that there is no supporting data for CBD use in children outside of specific medical conditions involving seizure disorders.
Breuner, also a member of the integrative medicine committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics, warned of the dangers of high melatonin levels, which could be much higher than the safe nightly dosage of 0.5 to 1 milligram for children. Potential side effects include drowsiness, headaches, agitation, and increased nighttime bed-wetting or urination. Additionally, melatonin can cause harmful medication interactions and allergies, and affect hormonal development, as noted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The study, published in the journal JAMA, involved sending 25 melatonin gummy products to an independent lab for analysis. These products were selected from the National Institutes of Health database, which lists dietary supplements sold in the U.S.
“We focused on gummy products because they are likely chosen by parents for their children,” Cohen explained. This scrutiny follows reports to poison centers involving over a quarter million cases of pediatric ingestion, including hospitalizations and even deaths.
About Author
Leave a comment