This study was funded by the High Council for Sports (CSD), Spanish Ministry of Culture
and Sport, through the NESA NETWORK “Spanish Network of Sports Care at Altitude (RADA)”
Ref. 19/UPB/23. This research was supported by an FPU grant from the Spanish University Ministry
to Alejandro Lopez-Moro (FPU20/00210).
The authors thank FSI (Football Science Institute) for their support.Background: Melatonin is a hormone that has shown anti-inflammatory actions, reduced oxidative stress, and has effects on physical performance, so the aim of this study was to review the effects of melatonin supplementation on the performance of professional soccer players. Methods: Critical and systematic review. Data were obtained by performing searches in the following bibliographic databases: Web of Science, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The terms used were “Soccer Athlete”, “Melatonin”, and “Soccer Performance”, using “Humans” as a filter. The search update was in May 2023. Results: Having applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight articles were selected out of 59 retrieved references. The dose of melatonin administered in the studies ranged between 5 and 8 mg. The outcomes showed a decrease in oxidative stress, muscle damage, and inflammatory markers in the melatonin-treated group. Conclusions: Exogenously administered melatonin seems to attenuate some of the effects derived from physical exercise, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle damage, in professional football players, and since it has no potential adverse effects, it could be interesting to apply it in this population. However, the direct effects of melatonin supplementation on physical performance have not been demonstrated, so more research is needed on the intervention period and effective dose and with larger participant populations.High Council for Sports (CSD)Spanish Ministry of Culture
and Sport Ref. 19/UPB/23Spanish University Ministry FPU20/00210FSI (Football Science Institute
