Melatonin use linked to lower AMD risk

The use of melatonin appears to exert some protective effect on the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) incidence and progression, as suggested in a retrospective cohort study.

Researchers used data from TriNetX and identified individuals aged 50 years or older, 60 years or older, and 70 years or older with no history of AMD (AMD-naïve group) and with a history of nonexudative AMD. These individuals were then classified according to melatonin use, which was defined as at least four instances of melatonin records that each occurred at least 3 months apart. Propensity score matching was performed to match the cohorts based on multiple variables.

Among 121,523 individuals in the AMD-naïve group who were ≥50 years of age, melatonin users (n=4,580, mean age 68.24 years, 56.5 percent female) were at lower risk of incident AMD compared with nonusers (n=4,580, mean age 68.17 years, 58.5 percent female). Melatonin use was associated with a risk reduction of 58 percent (risk ratio [RR], 0.42, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.62).

Likewise, among 66,253 individuals in the nonexudative AMD group who were ≥50 years of age, melatonin users (n=4,064, mean age 80.21 years, 61.1 percent female) were less likely to experience AMD progression compared with nonusers (n=4,064, mean age 80.31 years, 62.3 percent female). Melatonin use was associated with 56-percent reduction in the risk of progression to exudative AMD (RR, 0.44, 95 percent CI, 0.34–0.56).

The protective benefit of melatonin use on AMD was consistently observed among subsets of individuals aged ≥60 years (AMD-naïve cohort: RR, 0.36, 95 percent CI, 0.25–0.54; nonexudative AMD cohort: RR, 0.38, 95 percent CI, 0.30–0.49) and ≥70 years (AMD-naïve cohort: RR, 0.35, 95 percent CI, 0.23–0.53; nonexudative AMD cohort: RR, 0.40, 95 percent CI, 0.31–0.51).

While lifestyle factors may have influenced the inverse association between melatonin use and AMD risk, the present data provide a rationale for further research on the efficacy of using the dietary supplement as a preventive therapy against AMD.