Sex differences in endocannabinoids during 3 years of Mediterranean diet intervention: Association with insulin resistance and weight loss in a population with metabolic syndrome

Natalia Soldevila-Domenech, Antoni Pastor, Aleix Sala-Vila, Iolanda Lázaro, Anna Boronat, Daniel Muñoz, Olga Castañer, Beatriz Fagundo, Dolores Corella, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Montserrat Fitó, Rafael de la Torre. Front Nutr. 2022 Dec 1:9:1076677.

Observational studyHumans

Design

Observational study

Subjects

105 adults (54.3% women; mean age 65.6) with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study

Dose used in the study

No palmitoylethanolamide was given; plasma levels were measured during a Mediterranean diet intervention

Duration

3 years, with sampling at 0, 6, 12 and 36 months

What was measured

Plasma 2-AG, anandamide, OEA and PEA, fatty acids, diet adherence, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and cardiovascular risk markers

What the authors reported

This study found:

• Anandamide, OEA and PEA fell after 6 months (anandamide -4.9%).
• The OEA/AEA ratio rose after 1 year (+5.8%).
• Falls in 2-AG (-3.9%) and a rise in OEA/PEA (+8.2%) persisted over 3 years.
• In women, changes in AEA and OEA/AEA were linked to 8% weight loss.
• In men, OEA/PEA changes were linked to weight loss with an odds ratio of 2.62.
• Women had higher NAE levels than men throughout.

Limits of this study

An observational sub-study; PEA was measured, not given, so it shows association only. The authors declare no commercial or financial conflicts.

Source

PubMed 36532543 · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1076677

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.