Efficacy of Palmitoylethanolamide and Luteolin Association on Post-Covid Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies
Meta-analysisHumansWith luteolin
This study tested palmitoylethanolamide together with luteolin. Its results cannot be assigned to palmitoylethanolamide alone. More combination studies.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Subjects
- 5 studies with 441 patients in the review. 3 studies with 327 patients were pooled.
- Dose used in the study
- 700 mg of palmitoylethanolamide with 70 mg of luteolin, once a day
- Duration
- 30 to 90 days
- What was measured
- Recovery of the sense of smell on the Sniffin' Sticks test
What the authors reported
PEA plus luteolin, given with olfactory training, favoured recovery of smell over conventional therapy. The pooled odds ratio was 3.07 (95% CI 2.22 to 3.92) in a fixed-effects model and 4.28 in a random-effects model, though that confidence interval crossed zero (-0.04 to 8.60). Heterogeneity was high (I² = 89%).
Limits of this study
With heterogeneity this high, the random-effects result is the more cautious reading, and it was borderline. The authors note small samples, short follow-up, a lack of placebo control in some studies, and that all studies were Italian. The review received no external funding.
Source
doi:10.3390/biomedicines11082189
Entry checked against the full text at the publisher (MDPI) on 2026-09-21. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.