Copyright dailyrecord
Melatonin supplements are widely available in many countries, with different strengths and purity levels depending on the brand. Whilst many people believe the supplement is harmless , given that melatonin is naturally produced by the body to regulate sleep patterns, scientists have identified a major potential concern. Researchers from the American Heart Association have published findings from their recent study indicating that long-term use of melatonin supplements could harm overall health. In particular, the scientists found that people who had been taking melatonin for at least 12 months were more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, require hospitalisation for the condition, or die from any cause. They highlighted the safety concerns these findings raised, whilst also acknowledging they couldn't prove the supplements were the direct cause of these heart problems. The research team urged further studies to establish just how safe melatonin really is for heart health. "Melatonin supplements may not be as harmless as commonly assumed. If our study is confirmed, this could affect how doctors counsel patients about sleep aids," said Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, M.D., lead author of the study and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, New York. "Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and 'natural' option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many other risk factors. Also, while the association we found raises safety concerns about the widely used supplement, our study cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. This means more research is needed to test melatonin's safety for the heart." The researchers analysed five years of medical records for adults suffering from chronic insomnia who had been documented as using melatonin for more than a year. They were then matched with similar people in the database who also had insomnia but had never been recorded as taking melatonin. Anyone on other sleep medications or with previous heart failure diagnoses were excluded from the study. The main analysis showed that adults using melatonin to treat their insomnia for 12 months or more had roughly 90% higher likelihood of heart failure over five years compared to those who didn't use it. People who had at least two melatonin prescriptions filled at least 90 days apart faced an 82% increased risk of the cardiac condition. A subsequent analysis also found that people taking melatonin were nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for heart failure compared to those not on the supplement. They were also almost twice as likely to die from any cause during the five-year period than the non-melatonin group. In the UK, melatonin is only available via prescription, whereas in places like America, it's sold over-the-counter. This posed a limitation for the study as people taking the supplement without a prescription could have been categorised in the non-melatonin group due to it not being recorded on their health record. The researchers also lacked information regarding the severity of insomnia or the presence of other mental health conditions.
