Think melatonin is safe? New research reveals a hidden heart risk
www.sciencedaily.com
Long-term melatonin use for sleep problems may come with unexpected heart dangers. Researchers found that chronic users were almost twice as likely to die and 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure. Though melatonin is widely regarded as harmless, experts now urge caution with extended use.
  • the_q@lemmy.zipEnglish
    71·
    2 hours ago

    Or maybe not getting substantial and quality rest is what fucking kills you?

  • Kairos@lemmy.todayEnglish
    18·
    3 hours ago

    A large review of health data from more than 130,000 adults with insomnia found that people who took melatonin for a year or longer were more likely to develop heart failure, be hospitalized for the condition, or die from any cause compared to those who didn’t take the supplement.

    Once again a correlation is immediately turned into some bombastic conclusion for clickbait headlines.

      • treadful@lemmy.zipEnglish
        3·
        1 hour ago

        Is the study not a comparison of insomniacs that both do and don’t take melatonin?

        • Cat_Daddy [any, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
          3·
          37 minutes ago

          Yes, but it’s still not a good separation. From the article, there are a number of issues with their method:

          The study has several limitations. First, the database includes countries that require a prescription for melatonin (such as the United Kingdom) and countries that don’t (such as the United States), and patient locations were not part of the de-identified data available to the researchers. Since melatonin use in the study was based only on those identified from medication entries in the electronic health record, everyone taking it as an over-the-counter supplement in the U.S. or other countries that don’t require a prescription would have been in the non-melatonin group; therefore, the analyses may not accurately reflect this. Hospitalization figures were also higher than those for initial diagnosis of heart failure because a range of related diagnostic codes may be entered for the hospitalization, and they may not always include the code for a new diagnosis of heart failure. The researchers also lacked information on the severity of insomnia and the presence of other psychiatric disorders.

          An additional confounding variable is the fact that the USDA doesn’t regulate melatonin sold in the United States, so it could be pill capsules full of actual bull shit for all the customers know.

  • Hux@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3·
    2 hours ago

    The same study found that US adults who use their television remotes to turn on Fox News may be more likely to develop arthritis…