Tests with over two dozen brands of melatonin “gummies” sold as sleep supplements showed that some contained potentially dangerous amounts of the hormone that helps regulate sleep.
According to a study by the Cambridge Health Alliance, one brand contained 347% more melatonin than what was actually listed on the supplement label. Another listed melatonin as an ingredient but contained no melatonin at all, only cannabidiol (CBD).
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “it is currently illegal to market CBD by adding it to food or labeling it as a dietary supplement.” However, several of the tested products containing CBD openly advertised the addition of this compound to the supplement.
Four of the tested products contained CBD levels between 4% and 18% above what the label described, according to the study.
The use of CBD in over-the-counter products is particularly concerning because parents may buy these gummies to give to their children to help them sleep.
In addition to the presence of CBD, consuming a gummy that contains extremely high levels of melatonin – well above the 0.5 to 1 milligram per night sufficient to induce sleep in children – is also dangerous.
The side effects of melatonin use in children can include drowsiness, headaches, agitation, and nighttime urinary dysfunction. There is also the potential for harmful interactions with medications and allergic reactions to melatonin, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The Center also warns that supplements may affect hormonal development, “including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin,” which causes breast development and milk production in women.
A 2022 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that emergency calls due to melatonin poisoning from children increased by 530% between 2012 and 2021. The highest peak of calls – 38% – occurred between 2019 and 2020.
The new study found that 88% of the gummies analyzed were mislabeled, and only three contained a melatonin amount that was within 10% of what was listed on the label.
And incredibly, according to current law, the FDA does not have the authority to approve supplements before they are marketed. It is the manufacturers themselves who are responsible for ensuring that their products are not adulterated or have incorrect information before being distributed.
In other words, it is up to the consumer to be well-informed before taking these supplements, especially by consulting a doctor, who can assess whether the supplement is truly necessary, in what quantity, and from which manufacturer.
Make sure the bottle has the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal, which manufacturers hire to test and verify products. If it has a USP seal, it is likely that the product is accurately labeled.
Source: CNN