These products, sold to improve the quality of sleep, can cause various adverse effects, especially in pregnant women and children.
- According to Inserm, one in three people suffers from sleep disorders.
- Between 2019 and 2021, 700 new melatonin-based food supplement references arrived on the French market.
Difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal awakenings, insomnia: sleep disorders sometimes spoil our nights. To remedy this, some choose to take food supplements based on melatonin, a hormone linked to sleep. But these tablets are not suitable for everyone, according to a recent alert from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention. In a communicatedpublished Tuesday, November 15, the organization notes a lack of information on the boxes and notices of these products concerning the side effects in certain people.
???? Melatonin-based food supplements: be vigilant and seek the advice of a health professional in case of doubt
???? https://t.co/xpEQeTIypa pic.twitter.com/wlPu5n4SDm— DGCCRF (@dgccrf) November 15, 2022
Why take melatonin supplements?
“Sleep induction is hormonally dependent on melatoninremember Inserm. Commonly called hormone from sleep, melatonin is produced in the dark, at the start of the night, by the pineal gland (or epiphysis), located behind the hypothalamus.” Its release in the body helps to fall asleep, but it also acts on mood, the immune system or even the regulation of body temperature. People suffering from sleep disorders, or having difficulty recovering jet lag use melatonin, as a food supplement, to improve the quality of their sleep or to reduce the time they fall asleep.
Insufficient Information on Melatonin Supplements
But food supplement boxes sometimes lack information. “The results of the survey indicate that the consumer is not correctly informed about the dose of melatonin necessary to obtain the advertised effect (from 1 mg for the reduction in sleep time and from 0.5 mg for that of the effect of jet lag)notes the DGCCRF. 45% of the labels examined do not comply with the provisions of the regulation defining the conditions for the use of health claims relating to melatonin.”
In addition, the instructions and boxes are not clear enough for sensitive people. Some packaging claims that the product may be suitable for children, which is contrary to the observations of the Medicines Safety Agency (Anses) made public in 2018. In a communicated on the risks associated with taking melatonin-based food supplements, the agency advised against these tablets for people suffering from inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, pregnant or breastfeeding women or children. She also recommended favoring simple formulas, where melatonin is not associated with other ingredients. However, the DGCCRF notes that “nearly 70% of the labels examined mention that melatonin is associated with one or more plants/plant extracts“.
What are the side effects of melatonin supplements?
In this document, ANSES has identified 90 adverse effects occurring after taking one of these food supplements. “The effects reported are varied: general symptoms (headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nightmares, irritability), neurological (tremors, migraines) and gastroenterological (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain) disorders.“, observes the organization. The long-term effects remaining unknown, ANSES advises to reserve these products for occasional use, and to seek the advice of a health professional before consuming them.
