May 2023 Update
Potentially dangerous doses of melatonin and CBD found in gummies sold for sleep
CNN April 25, 2023—
Testing of over two dozen melatonin “gummies” sold as sleep aids found some had potentially dangerous amounts of the hormone that helps regulate sleep, according to a new study.
Using melatonin for sleep is on the rise, study says, despite potential health harms
“One product contained 347% more melatonin than what was actual listed on the label of the gummies,” said study coauthor Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts.
A jar of gummies might also contain ingredients you didn’t count on, Cohen said: “One of the products that listed melatonin contained no melatonin at all. It was just cannabidiol, or CBD.”
The agency also warns supplements could affect hormonal development, “including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin,” which causes breast and milk development in women.
In the study, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA, researchers sent 25 products labeled as melatonin gummies to an outside lab that tested for levels of melatonin and other substances.
However, the research team didn’t pick products “willy-nilly” off the internet, Cohen said. The scientists carefully chose the first 25 gummy melatonin products displayed on the National Institutes of Health database, which the public can check to see labels of dietary supplements sold in the United States.
What Can YOU Do To Ensure Quality Of Your Supplements?
At SOSR we encourage you to purchase supplements through companies that ensure quality and potency of their products by submitting to independent, randomized, third party testing. If you have concerns about your supplement quality, speak with one of our providers at SOSR or visit the “store” on our website to access our FullScript online supplement pharmacy.
