Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24802882›Full record

SynthesisDrugs & aging2014

Optimal dosages for melatonin supplementation therapy in older adults: a systematic review of current literature.

Esmée M S Vural, Barbara C van Munster, Sophia E de Rooij

Registry-linked trialAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Drugs & aging, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04287543 (Effect of Melatonin Administration on the PER1 and BMAL1 Clock Genes in Patients With Parkinson's Disease), which is not on this map. Cited by 48 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
48citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04287543 phase2 / phase3withdrawnnot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Melatonin Administration on the PER1 and BMAL1 Clock Genes in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

TypeinterventionalSponsorInstituto Mexicano del Seguro SocialRan2021 to 2022Enrolled0ConditionsParkinson DiseaseArmsMelatonin, Placebos
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

48 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Bioavailability of OniriaDrugs in R&D · 2022
    Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Effect of melatonin on incidence of delirium among patients with hip fracture: a multicentre, double-blind randomized controlled trial.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2014
    Trial
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Melatonin attenuates inflammatory bone loss by alleviating mitophagy and lactate production.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2025
    Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Programmed cell death and melatonin: A comprehensive review.Functional & integrative genomics · 2024
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Esmée M S VuralDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e.vural@vumc.nl.
Barbara C van Munster
Sophia E de Rooij

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMelatonin is a hormone that regulates circadian rhythm, and its levels decline with age. As melatonin levels decrease, older adults are prone to develop disorders related to an altered circadian rhythm. The effective dose of melatonin supplementation in these disorders remains unclear.

objectivesOur objective was to define the optimal dosage of exogenous melatonin administration in disorders related to altered melatonin levels in older adults aged 55 years and above by determining the dose-response effect of exogenous administered melatonin on endogenous levels.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review through PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase, both from 1980 until November 2013. Included articles studied the effect of exogenous melatonin administration on endogenous melatonin levels in either serum, urine, or saliva in humans aged 55 years and above.

resultsWe included 16 articles, nine of which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The mean age varied from 55.3 to 77.6 years. Melatonin dosage varied from 0.1 mg to 50 mg/kg and was administered orally in all studies. Pre- and post-intervention levels revealed a significant elevation of the post-intervention melatonin levels in a dose-dependent fashion. The maximum concentrations measured in serum and urine were all elevated compared with placebo, and a higher elevation in older adults than in younger adults was demonstrated. Even though there were no differences between times to reach maximum concentration in serum and urine, melatonin levels with higher doses were maintained longer above a certain threshold than were lower doses.

conclusionIn older adults, we advise the use of the lowest possible dose of immediate-release formulation melatonin to best mimic the normal physiological circadian rhythm of melatonin and to avoid prolonged, supra-physiological blood levels.

Indexed as

Administration, OralAgedAged, 80 and overCircadian RhythmDietary SupplementsDose-Response Relationship, DrugHumansMelatoninMiddle AgedSalivaSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersMelatonin

Identifiers

PMID24802882

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.