WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) is pushing back against media interpretation of a new abstract presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 that suggests long-term melatonin use may be associated with a higher risk of heart failure among people with chronic insomnia.
CRN emphasized that the findings are preliminary, not peer-reviewed, and cannot establish cause and effect. The research followed patients diagnosed with chronic insomnia and compared those with medical record documentation of melatonin use for at least a year to those without documented use. The council noted that chronic insomnia itself is linked to increased cardiovascular risk, making it unclear whether melatonin use or the underlying condition influenced the results.
This week’s reporting, including from The Washington Post, reinforced that sleep quality has a significant impact on cardiovascular health, and that the data do not apply to healthy adults who occasionally use melatonin.
CRN highlighted several limitations: the study did not include information on dosage, severity of insomnia, underlying mental health conditions, or cases where participants may have taken melatonin without it being recorded in medical records.
The trade group stressed that melatonin supplements are not intended to treat chronic insomnia or other sleep disorders. CRN adopted voluntary melatonin labeling guidelines in 2024, which recommend upper dosage levels and advisory statements, such as “for occasional and/or intermittent use only.”
According to CRN, decades of consumer use and clinical studies support the safety of low-dose, short-term melatonin when taken as directed. The organization stated that the new observational data do not alter the well-established safety profile.
CRN said it supports continued research on long-term supplement use but cautioned that a single abstract should not drive “broad conclusions or alarmist headlines.”
Even the study’s own author urged restraint. As quoted in The Washington Post, Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi said the takeaway is not that melatonin is harmful or that consumers should stop using it, but that no product should be assumed risk-free simply because it is natural or sold over the counter.
CRN advised consumers to consult healthcare providers, especially those with cardiovascular concerns, before making any changes to their supplement routines.
