26 Apr 2023 • In a study, published Tuesday in JAMA, researchers sent 25 products labeled as melatonin gummies to a lab that tested for levels of melatonin and other substances. “One product contained 347% more melatonin than what was actual listed on the label of the gummies,” said study coauthor Dr. Pieter Cohen. “Four of the tested products contained levels of CBD that were between 4% and 18% higher than on the label,” Dr. Cohen said.

The new study found 88% of the gummies were inaccurately labeled, and only three contained a quantity of melatonin that was within 10% of what was listed on the label, adds Dr Cohen, who has studied invalid labeling of supplements for years. Side effects of melatonin use in children can include drowsiness, headaches, agitation, and increased bed-wetting or urination in the evening. There is also the potential for harmful interactions with medications and allergic reactions to the melatonin, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a department of the National Institutes of Health.

Gummies sold as sleep aids had much higher levels of melatonin than stated on the label, as well as CBD, according to the study. “The regulatory framework for supplements is broken,” he said, “The manufacturers are not complying with the law, and the FDA is not enforcing the law. So what that means is that we have a lot of poor-quality products out there.”

Source: CNN Health | Read full story