A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition reported that a novel food supplement had anti-inflammatory effects in adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 who were unvaccinated and nonhospitalized.

Inflammatory mechanisms are crucial to optimal resolution of infectious conditions. Yet, overreactive immune responses can inhibit protective defenses, and can contribute to inflammatory complications and severity.  Because inflammation is at the core of COVID-19 severity, strategies to control inflammation are considered a key approach for mitigating COVID-19 complications.

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a chemical made from fat and found naturally in foods such as egg yolks, peanuts, and soybeans, has been documented as being beneficial for reducing inflammation. PEA has been utilized in several trials to treat influenza and the common cold and was shown to be effective in treating upper respiratory infections. Given the parallels between COVID-19 and the mechanisms by which PEA has been successful as an immunomodulator, a research team at Arizona State University aimed to examine the effects of PEA on proinflammatory biomarkers in adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 who were unvaccinated and nonhospitalized.

A total of 60 participants in this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial received 600 mg of commercially available PEA called Levagen+ or placebo tablets twice daily for 4 weeks. Inflammatory biomarkers were measured at baseline and upon completion of the study. After 4 weeks of supplementation, inflammatory biomarkers were significantly reduced in the treatment group compared to those in the control group. 

The reduction in inflammatory biomarkers in adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 suggests that PEA may exert anti-inflammatory actions and possibly reduce the severity of COVID-19. Thus, Levagen+ administration may offer a degree of relief from inflammatory symptoms associated with COVID-19 as well as other chronic conditions.

References

Samantha N Fessler, Li Liu, Yung Chang, Theresa Yip, Carol S Johnston, Palmitoylethanolamide Reduces Proinflammatory Markers in Unvaccinated Adults Recently Diagnosed with COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 152, Issue 10, October 2022, Pages 2218–2226, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac154.

Images via canva.com.

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Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).