SynthesisBMC medicine2018
Melatonin and health: an umbrella review of health outcomes and biological mechanisms of action.
Synthesis in BMC medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Melatonin in cancer treatment.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Non-genetic risk and protective factors and biomarkers for neurological disorders: a meta-umbrella systematic review of umbrella reviews.BMC medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Exercise/physical activity and health outcomes: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews.BMC public health · 2020Pooled it
- Adverse Events Associated with Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary or Secondary Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2019Pooled it
- A randomized clinical trial of the impact of melatonin on influenza vaccine: Outcomes from the melatonin and vaccine response immunity and chronobiology study (MAVRICS).Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2024Trial
- Influenza vaccine response is predicted by chronotype and differentially associated with pre- and post-vaccination sleep.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Melatonin in Integrative Oncology: Biological Mechanisms, Therapeutic Evidence and Implementation Strategies.Oncology research · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of Early Cardiorespiratory Rehabilitation Combined With Melatonin Supplementation During the Inpatient Period After Acute Myocardial Infarction: a Pilot Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025Article
- The role of oxidative stress-mediated fibro-adipogenic progenitor senescence in skeletal muscle regeneration and repair.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Article
- Allergic Conditions and Their Impact on Pediatric Sleep: A Narrative Review.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2024Review
- The Potential of Integrative Cancer Treatment Using Melatonin and the Challenge of Heterogeneity in Population-Based Studies: A Case Report of Colon Cancer and a Literature Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Review
- Comprehensive review of melatonin as a promising nutritional and nutraceutical supplement.Heliyon · 2024Review
- Association between Sleep Duration and Colorectal Adenomas: Findings from a Case-Control Study in Vietnam.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2023Article
- Melatonin Activates Anti-Inflammatory Features in Microglia in a Multicellular Context: Evidence from Organotypic Brain Slices and HMC3 Cells.Biomolecules · 2023Article
- Human-Centric Lighting: Rare-Earth-Free Photoluminescent Materials for Correlated Color Temperature Tunable White LEDs.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- On-demand electrically controlled melatonin release from PEDOT/SNP composite improves quality of chronic neural recording.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Article
- Sleep architecture of short sleep time in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a retrospective single-facility study.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2022Article
- Benefits and adverse events of melatonin use in the elderly (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2022Review
- Light Pollution and Circadian Misalignment: A Healthy, Blue-Free, White Light-Emitting Diode to Avoid Chronodisruption.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOur aims were to evaluate critically the evidence from systematic reviews as well as narrative reviews of the effects of melatonin (MLT) on health and to identify the potential mechanisms of action involved.
methodsAn umbrella review of the evidence across systematic reviews and narrative reviews of endogenous and exogenous (supplementation) MLT was undertaken. The Oxman checklist for assessing the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews was utilised. The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, PsycINFO and CINAHL. In addition, reference lists were screened. We included reviews of the effects of MLT on any type of health-related outcome measure.
resultsAltogether, 195 reviews met the inclusion criteria. Most were of low methodological quality (mean -4.5, standard deviation 6.7). Of those, 164 did not pool the data and were synthesised narratively (qualitatively) whereas the remaining 31 used meta-analytic techniques and were synthesised quantitatively. Seven meta-analyses were significant with P values less than 0.001 under the random-effects model. These pertained to sleep latency, pre-operative anxiety, prevention of agitation and risk of breast cancer.
conclusionsThere is an abundance of reviews evaluating the effects of exogenous and endogenous MLT on health. In general, MLT has been shown to be associated with a wide variety of health outcomes in clinically and methodologically heterogeneous populations. Many reviews stressed the need for more high-quality randomised clinical trials to reduce the existing uncertainties.
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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.