The CDC report references 27,795 children who received care at a health care facility; of that number, 71.6 percent were discharged, 14.7 percent were hospitalized, and 1 percent required intensive care. That is, almost three quarters of these cases were deemed false alarms.
That two young children died is of course tragic. According to the CDC, “one ingestion involved intentional medication misuse; the reason for the other is unknown.” Again, these cases don’t point to a safety issue with melatonin. Almost anything can be dangerous when consumed in sufficient quantity—
We know that melatonin is safe. A
Consider that pharmaceutical drugs, even when properly prescribed,
It is reasonable for the CDC to warn parents about keeping melatonin bottles out of reach of children to avoid these adverse events. But the implication that melatonin is in any way unsafe is wrong, plain and simple. For the media to suggest otherwise is irresponsible.
This is reminiscent of an
But why let the facts stand in the way of the planned hit piece to make supplements appear like a public health catastrophe?
Unfortunately, alarmist reporting about melatonin may prevent people from using a product that can benefit their health. It helps many people, though not all, with
The timing of all of this is deeply suspicious. Sen. Dick Durbin and his allies are working to add new regulatory requirements for supplements. A new report from the CDC that paints a popular supplement as a public health problem can only help them pass these new restrictions. We cannot let this absurd strategy succeed.
The timing of all of this is deeply suspicious. Sen. Dick Durbin and his allies are working to add new regulatory requirements for supplements. A new report from the CDC that paints a popular supplement as a public health problem can only help them pass these new restrictions. We cannot let this absurd strategy succeed.