sleep People at risk don’t know enough about capsule boxes
people at risk are misinformed about food supplements containing melatonin. — Pixabay/HeungSoon
Boxes of food supplements based on melatonin, which promise better sleep at their consumers, too rarely recall that they are not recommended for certain people, such as children, warned the consumer protection agency on Wednesday. The producers of these supplements practice “a very heterogeneous integration of the recommendations to each other. for sensitive populations,” the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), an agency dependent on the government, at; the result of a survey of around fifty of these products.
Melatonin is a molecule produced naturally by the human body and which notably regulates the rhythms of sleep. It is, moreover, present in certain food supplements which promise better sleep or an aid to sleep. overcoming jet lag.
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Often mixed with other active ingredients
These claims are relatively supported by the current state of scientific knowledge, which admits a sometimes positive, but weak, effect of taking melatonin on sleep. Still, taking these supplements, available in France without a prescription, is not neutral, because they can be poorly tolerated and even not recommended for some people, as recalled ; a few years ago the health authorities (Anses).
These people include pregnant women, children and adolescents, and patients with chronic diseases such as asthma or epilepsy. However, many food supplements do not remind the buyer to this caution, notes the DGCCRF. She also finds that melatonin is often mixed with other active ingredients, contrary to advice from ANSES.
No dosage problem
“The results of this survey lead to renew the call to the vigilance of the most sensitive consumers”, warned the DGCCRF, which strongly encourages these patients to seek advice from; a healthcare professional before taking a supplement based on melatonin.
The agency nevertheless recognizes that most of these products do not have any dosage problem: the melatonin level corresponds to what is marked on the label, and is not higher than the recommended limit. by ANSES – 2 milligrams per dose. However, nearly half boxes do not specify what doses are specifically recommended for better sleep – 1 milligram – and against jet lag – 0.5 milligrams.