Around the world, melatonin supplements are often sold as flavoured gummies. (Representational image/Freepik)
Melatonin products have become quite popular around the world. But in the US, it has threatened the health of many children, who have landed up in the hospital in the recent past. According to a CNN report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states as many as 11,000 children have landed in the emergency room in recent years after ingesting melatonin products while unsupervised. Melatonin is a hormone that is made inside the body. It takes care of night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin in supplements is usually made in a lab. According to WebMD, people mostly use melatonin for their insomnia and to improve sleep during jet lag conditions. It is also used for depression, chronic pain, dementia, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support it.
Around the world, melatonin supplements are often sold as flavoured gummies. Researchers from CDC and US Consumer Product Safety Commission identified cases involving children aged 5 years and younger, who were taken to the ER between 2019 and 2022 after ingesting melatonin without parental supervision.
Based on nearly 300 identified cases, researchers estimated that 10,930 emergency department visits occurred in the aforementioned time period. It accounted for about 7 per cent of all ER visits in the US for 'unsupervised medication exposures' in infants and young children. While more than half of accidental ingestions involved kids between the ages of 3 and 5 years, the majority of visits did not include any additional medications. According to the CNN report, the 'type' of ingested melatonin was not specified in most hospital visits; the report showed children almost always swallowed it. Apparently, melatonin supplements are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Citing a study published in the journal 'JAMA', the report stated that 25 products labelled as 'melatonin gummies' contained 'dangerous levels of the hormone', while others contained 'no melatonin and only cannabidiol, or CBD'. CDC researchers purportedly wrote these 'discrepancies in ingredients or strength could pose additional risk' to children.
According to the CDC, the use of melatonin by US adults has 'soared' since the early 2000s.
WebMD states that melatonin is usually 'well tolerated' when taken in doses up to 3 mg daily in children and 5 mg daily in adolescents, but there is some concern that melatonin might interfere with development during adolescence. Melatonin should only be used in children with a medical need, as there is not enough evidence to know if melatonin is safe in children when taken by mouth, long-term.
