The Effect of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Strength, and Power in Response to Resistance Training in Healthy Active Adults: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial
Randomised controlled trialHumans
- Design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Subjects
- 52 healthy active adults randomised. 48 completed (24 in each group).
- Dose used in the study
- Two Levagen+ capsules a day, each with at least 150 mg of palmitoylethanolamide
- Duration
- 8 weeks of resistance training
- What was measured
- Lean mass, thigh muscle size, strength, jump and throw power, pain, recovery, stress and sleep.
What the authors reported
Lean mass gains were similar in both groups (2.0% on palmitoylethanolamide, 2.4% on placebo) with identical gains in thigh muscle size. Jump height improved more with palmitoylethanolamide (17.3% against 5.2%, p = 0.010), while bench press strength improved more with placebo (p = 0.039). There were no differences in pain, recovery, stress or sleep scores, and no adverse effects were reported.
Limits of this study
Results were mixed: one power measure favoured palmitoylethanolamide and one strength measure favoured placebo. Participants came from varied sporting backgrounds, and people already trained in resistance exercise were excluded. Crossref lists Gencor Pacific as the funder.
Source
doi:10.1186/s40798-024-00732-6
Entry checked against the article page at the publisher (Springer), with the citation from Crossref on 2026-09-21. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.