International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences

| Peer-Reviewed |

The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study

Received: 21 December 2020    Accepted: 29 December 2020    Published: 10 February 2021
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

A commonality of all joint pain is the existence of inflammation. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous saturated fatty acid derivative that down-regulates multiple proinflammatory and nociceptive pathways and known to inhibit mast and glial cell activity. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of PEA (Levagen+), for alleviating joint pain and improving quality of life in adults. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study on adults reporting joint pain. 74 participants that received either PEA (n=35) or a placebo (n=39) daily for 2 weeks completed this study. The primary outcome was a self-assessed reduction in pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, completed in the morning and evening. VAS pain scores reduced over the 2 weeks of treatment in both groups. Morning VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in the PEA and placebo groups from day 3 and 4 respectively. VAS scores were significantly lower in the PEA group compared to the placebo group on day 14 (P<0.05). Evening VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in both the PEA and placebo groups from day 3. Total mood scores for both groups were similar at baseline but was significantly different at the end of the study, with the PEA group decreasing and the placebo group increasing. This study demonstrates that PEA may be a safe and effective option for reducing joint pain. Future studies should investigate whether long-term supplementation can show further improvements in pain scores.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12
Published in International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2021)
Page(s) 9-13
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Palmitoylethanolamide, PEA, Levagen, Joint Pain

References
[1] Grime, J., J. C. Richardson, and B. N. Ong, Perceptions of joint pain and feeling well in older people who reported being healthy: a qualitative study. Br J Gen Pract, 2010. 60: p. 597-603.
[2] Amoako, A. O. and G. G. Pujalte, Osteoarthritis in young, active, and athletic individuals.. Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord, 2014. 7: p. 27-32.
[3] Loeser, R. F., Age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system and the development of osteoarthritis. Clin Geriatr Med, 2010. 26: p. 371-386.
[4] Neogi, T., The epidemiology and impact of pain in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 2013. 21(9): p. 1145-1153.
[5] Havelin, J. and T. King, Mechanisms underlying bone and joint pain. Current Osteoporosis Reports, 2018. 16(6): p. 763-771.
[6] Blyth, F. M., et al., The Global Burden of Musculoskeletal Pain-Where to From Here? American journal of public health, 2019. 109(1): p. 35-40.
[7] Chang, A. Y., et al., Frequency of Chronic Joint Pain Following Chikungunya Virus Infection. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2018. 70(4): p. 578-584.
[8] Punzi, L., et al., Post-traumatic arthritis: overview on pathogenic mechanisms and role of inflammation. RMD Open, 2016. 2(2): p. 1-9.
[9] Schaible, H. G., et al., Joint Pain. Experimental brain research, 2009. 196(1): p. 153-162.
[10] van Laar, M., et al., Pain treatment in arthritis-related pain: beyond NSAIDs.. The open rheumatology journal, 2012. 6: p. 320-330.
[11] Cazacu, I., C. Mogosan, and F. Loghin, Safety issues of current analgesics: an update.. Clujul medical, 2015. 88(2): p. 128-136.
[12] Marini, I., et al., Palmitoylethanolamide versus a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the treatment of temporomandibular joint inflammatory pain. Journal of orofacial pain, 2012. 26(2): p. 99-104.
[13] Tehrani, M., M. Aguiar, and J. D. Katz, Narcotics in rheumatology. Health services insights, 2013. 6: p. 39-45.
[14] Alhouayek, M. and G. G. Muccioli, Harnessing the anti-inflammatory potential of palmitoylethanolamide. Drug discovery today, 2014. 19(10): p. 1632-1639.
[15] Keppel Hesselink, J. M., T. de Boer, and R. F. Witkamp, Palmitoylethanolamide: A natural body-own anti-inflammatory agent, effective and safe against influenza and common cold.. International journal of inflammation, 2013. 2013.
[16] Keppel Hesselink, J. M., Professor Rita Levi-Montalcini on nerve growth factor, mast cells and palmitoylethanolamine, and endogenous anti-inflammatory and analgesic compound. Journal of Pain Relief, 2013. 2(1).
[17] Gabrielsson, L., S. Mattsson, and C. J. Fowler, Palmitoylethanolamide for the treatment of pain: pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2016. 82(4): p. 932-942.
[18] Canteri, L., S. Petrosino, and G. Guida, Reduced consumption of antiinflammatory and analgesic agents in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain in patients affected by compression-causing lumbosciatic pain and treated with Normast® 300 mg. DOLOR, 2010. 25(4): p. 227-234.
[19] Domínguez, C., et al., N-palmitoylethanolamide in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with lumbosciatica. Pain Management, 2012. 2(2): p. 119-124.
[20] Germini, F., et al., N-of-1 Randomized Trials of Ultra-Micronized Palmitoylethanolamide in Older Patients with Chronic Pain. Drugs & Aging, 2017. 34: p. 941-952.
[21] Keppel Hesselink, J. M. and T. Hekker, Therapeutic utility of palmitoylethanolamide in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with various pathological conditions: a case series. Journal of Pain Research, 2012. 5: p. 437-442.
[22] Skaper, S. D., et al., Palmitoylethanolamide, a naturally occurring disease-modifying agent in neuropathic pain. Inflammopharmacology, 2014. 22(2): p. 79-94.
[23] Steels, E., et al., A double-blind randomized placebo controlled study assessing safety, tolerability and efficacy of palmitoylethanolamide for symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Inflammopharmacology, 2019. 27(3): p. 475-485.
[24] Briskey, D., A. R. Mallard, and A. Rao, Increased absorption of palmitoylethanolamide using a novel dispersion technology system (LipiSperse®). Journal nutraceuticals and food science, 2020. 5(2:3): p. 1-6.
[25] Delgado, D. A., et al., Validation of Digital Visual Analog Scale Pain Scoring With a Traditional Paper-based Visual Analog Scale in Adults. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons., 2018. 2(3).
[26] Vase, L. and K. Wartolowska, Pain, placebo, and test of treatment efficacy: a narrative review.. British journal of anaesthesia, 2019. 123(2): p. e254–e262.
[27] Benyamin, R., et al., Opioid complications and side effects. Pain physician, 2008. 11: p. S105–S120.
Author Information
  • School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; RDC Global, RDC Clinical, Newstead, Brisbane, Australia

  • RDC Global, RDC Clinical, Newstead, Brisbane, Australia

  • RDC Global, RDC Clinical, Newstead, Brisbane, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    David Briskey, Georgia Roche, Amanda Rao. (2021). The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 10(1), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    David Briskey; Georgia Roche; Amanda Rao. The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2021, 10(1), 9-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    David Briskey, Georgia Roche, Amanda Rao. The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2021;10(1):9-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12,
      author = {David Briskey and Georgia Roche and Amanda Rao},
      title = {The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study},
      journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {9-13},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20211001.12},
      abstract = {A commonality of all joint pain is the existence of inflammation. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous saturated fatty acid derivative that down-regulates multiple proinflammatory and nociceptive pathways and known to inhibit mast and glial cell activity. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of PEA (Levagen+), for alleviating joint pain and improving quality of life in adults. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study on adults reporting joint pain. 74 participants that received either PEA (n=35) or a placebo (n=39) daily for 2 weeks completed this study. The primary outcome was a self-assessed reduction in pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, completed in the morning and evening. VAS pain scores reduced over the 2 weeks of treatment in both groups. Morning VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in the PEA and placebo groups from day 3 and 4 respectively. VAS scores were significantly lower in the PEA group compared to the placebo group on day 14 (P<0.05). Evening VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in both the PEA and placebo groups from day 3. Total mood scores for both groups were similar at baseline but was significantly different at the end of the study, with the PEA group decreasing and the placebo group increasing. This study demonstrates that PEA may be a safe and effective option for reducing joint pain. Future studies should investigate whether long-term supplementation can show further improvements in pain scores.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - The Effect of a Dispersible Palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) Compared to a Placebo for Reducing Joint Pain in an Adult Population – A Randomised, Double-Blind Study
    AU  - David Briskey
    AU  - Georgia Roche
    AU  - Amanda Rao
    Y1  - 2021/02/10
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12
    T2  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
    JF  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
    JO  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
    SP  - 9
    EP  - 13
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2327-2716
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20211001.12
    AB  - A commonality of all joint pain is the existence of inflammation. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous saturated fatty acid derivative that down-regulates multiple proinflammatory and nociceptive pathways and known to inhibit mast and glial cell activity. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of PEA (Levagen+), for alleviating joint pain and improving quality of life in adults. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study on adults reporting joint pain. 74 participants that received either PEA (n=35) or a placebo (n=39) daily for 2 weeks completed this study. The primary outcome was a self-assessed reduction in pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, completed in the morning and evening. VAS pain scores reduced over the 2 weeks of treatment in both groups. Morning VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in the PEA and placebo groups from day 3 and 4 respectively. VAS scores were significantly lower in the PEA group compared to the placebo group on day 14 (P<0.05). Evening VAS scores were significantly reduced from baseline in both the PEA and placebo groups from day 3. Total mood scores for both groups were similar at baseline but was significantly different at the end of the study, with the PEA group decreasing and the placebo group increasing. This study demonstrates that PEA may be a safe and effective option for reducing joint pain. Future studies should investigate whether long-term supplementation can show further improvements in pain scores.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections