ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025
The effects of formulated palmitoylethanolamide supplementation on indicators of stress and heart rate variability in female university students: a randomised cross-over trial.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06225440 (The Effect of Levagen+® Palmitoylethanolamide), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
The Effect of Levagen+® Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) Supplementation on Parameters of Stress, Wellbeing and Cognition in University Students
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Natural Molecules for Brain Health and Resilience.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Chronic stress is a prevalent issue among university students, negatively affecting both mental and physiological health. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), particularly in the Levagen+® formulation, has been investigated for its potential stress-modulating effects through its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. This study aimed to assess the effects of 6 weeks of Levagen+® PEA supplementation on physiological and subjective markers of stress in moderately stressed female university students. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was conducted with 16 female participants who met the inclusion criteria based on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 6 weeks of PEA supplementation (600 mg/day) or a placebo, with a six-week washout period. Stress responses were assessed through heart rate variability (HRV), subjective stress and mood measures (PSS, PANAS), and salivary cortisol levels. To enhance ecological validity, assessments were conducted in real-life settings rather than laboratory environments. Results: PEA supplementation significantly increased the Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal (SDNN), a key HRV marker associated with autonomic resilience to stress (+9.70 ± 6.02 ms) compared to placebo (-5.72 ± 3.14 ms, Conclusion: This exploratory study demonstrates for the first time that PEA supplementation may enhance physiological resilience to stress as indicated by improved HRV. While subjective stress and emotional measures did not show significant changes, the observed trend suggests potential benefits in individuals experiencing moderate stress. Given PEA's role in the endocannabinoid system and its influence on inflammation, further research is warranted in larger and more diverse populations, including individuals with higher baseline stress levels. These preliminary findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting PEA as a promising dietary intervention for stress management. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06225440.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
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 Socratic graph.