France advises pregnant women, children and others to skip melatonin
Its food-safety agency also named breastfeeding, autoimmune disease and tasks needing alertness, and suggested no more than 2 mg a day, used occasionally.
What the study found
A French agency advises against melatonin in pregnancy and childhood
France's food agency, weighing 90 side-effect reports, advised against melatonin supplements in pregnancy and breastfeeding, in children and teenagers, with inflammatory or autoimmune disease, and before tasks needing alertness. Otherwise it suggested occasional use, 2 mg a day at most.
The caveat · 90 reports, only 19 assessable
Of the 90 reports, 19 had enough detail to judge whether melatonin caused the problem, and the dose taken was often unknown. Reports show what was noticed, not how often it happens. Limits on melatonin supplements differ by country, from 0.3 mg in Belgium and Germany to under 2 mg in France.