Long-Term Melatonin Use Linked to Increased Health Risks
Melatonin, a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland, โplays a crucial role โคin regulating the body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm,โค andโฃ promoting healthy sleep-wakeโ cycles. โProduction naturally increases as daylight fades, signaling the โฃbody to โprepare for rest.
Driven by the desire โฃto improve sleep, manny individuals turn to dietary supplements containing synthetic melatonin, hoping to boost levels and encourageโ sleep. While frequentlyโฃ enough perceived as harmless, recent researchโฃ suggests caution might potentially be warranted.
Despite a 2018 report from the French National Health Security Agency (ANSES) indicating that “problemsโ are rare and melatonin is generally considered to pose little risk,” new findings presented at the 2025 American heart Association congress paint a different picture.
Researchersโ at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences university in Brooklyn analyzed the medical records of overโค 130,000 adults experiencing insomnia โover a five-year period. The analysis revealed significant differences between those who used melatonin supplements โfor at โleast oneโ year and those who didโ not. โฃ Melatonin users exhibited:
* A 90% higher risk of developing heart failure over fiveโ years.
* โฃ A 3.5 times greater likelihood of hospitalization due to heart failure.
* Nearlyโ double the risk of mortality from all โcauses.
Not a Long-Term Solution
“Melatonin supplements may not be as harmless as โcommonly assumed,”โฃ cautioned Dr. Ekenedilichukwu โNnadi, the lead author of the study.
marie-Pierre st-Onge, director of the โขCenter of Excellence for Research on Sleep andโ Circadian Rhythms at Columbiaโค University (New York), echoed this concern.”Iโฃ am surprised that โฃdoctors prescribe melatoninโ for insomnia and that patients use it year-round, as melatonin โis not currently approved โฃfor insomnia treatment โฃin the United States.” โข She emphasized that, โฃlike in France, melatonin is readily โคavailable as a food supplement in the US, but chronic use should โonyl occur under appropriate medical guidance.
Vital Note: This research demonstrates a โฃ correlation between melatoninโ use and increased cardiovascular risks – a statistical link exists between the two. Further โexamination is necessary toโฃ determine if a โdirect cause-and-effect relationship โฃexists.
