Could long-term administration of melatonin to prepubertal children affect timing of puberty? A clinician's perspective.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic animal models and limited observational data without experimental clinical trials
PubMed 30774488 · doi:10.2147/NSS.S181365
What was done
This narrative review synthesized current literature—including a small number of observational studies and animal photoperiod/seasonal breeding models—to examine potential effects of long-term exogenous melatonin on pubertal onset and sexual maturation in prepubertal children.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values. The authors found no clinical trials experimentally testing the effects of melatonin on pubertal timing in children, noting that existing evidence relies on limited observational data and mechanistic parallels from animal seasonal reproduction.
Why it matters
As melatonin is widely used for pediatric sleep issues, understanding whether it disrupts endocrine pathways governing pubertal timing is critical for establishing safe clinical guidelines.
Limits
The review is narrative and contains no new experimental human data. Sample sizes and effect sizes from the referenced observational studies are not reported in the abstract, and seasonal breeding animal models may not directly reflect human pubertal biology.
Cited by
- supports Melatonin helps keep puberty at bay, and changes in melatonin secretion patterns correlate with the onset of puberty.