Study links melatonin supplement use to 90% higher heart failure risk
Long-term melatonin use may raise heart failure risk by 90% in chronic insomnia patients, a new study finds, urging caution and further research.
Key Takeaways
AIResearchers have found that long-term use of melatonin supplements is associated with a 90% higher risk of heart failure among people with chronic insomnia, as well as increased rates of hospitalization and death from any cause.
According to the study, reported by Science Daily and based on data from the global TriNetX network, 65,414 out of 130,828 adults with insomnia used melatonin for a year or more. The two groups were matched for age, gender, race, medical conditions, and medications.
The results showed that heart failure occurred in 4.6% of melatonin users compared to 2.7% of non-users over five years. The risk of hospitalization due to heart failure was about 3.5 times higher (19.0% versus 6.6%).
The all-cause mortality rate was 7.8% among melatonin users, compared to 4.3% in the other group, meaning the risk was nearly double.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a researcher at Columbia University, noted that melatonin is used in the United States as a dietary supplement, not for long-term insomnia treatment, and urged caution when taking it.
She pointed out limitations in the study, including not knowing the participants' locations, which could lead to misclassification, as well as the potential influence of insomnia severity and accompanying psychological disorders on the results.
Lead author Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Ndu, emphasized that the findings raise concerns about melatonin's safety, but stressed that the study is observational and does not prove a direct causal relationship. He called for further research into the supplement's cardiac safety.