Natural Factors PEA400 is a chronic pain relief formula featuring palmitoylethanolamide. Never heard of palmitoylethanolamide or PEA? No idea what it’s used for? Think PEA for pain!
PEA is a fatty-acid-like compound made in small amounts by the body. It activates the endocannabinoid system and has analgesic, neuroprotective, and anti-neuroinflammatory properties. Unfortunately, PEA is degraded by several enzymes, and other factors also keep PEA levels low.
Thankfully, PEA is also found naturally in foods, including safflower lecithin, soybeans, peanuts, and egg yolks. In addition, PEA supplements can help manage a variety of conditions associated with chronic pain and discomfort. Natural Factors PEA400 is made from fractionated non-GMO safflower seed oil and is micronized to improve solubility and absorption.
PEA has been studied for nerve-compression syndromes, including sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome, and for pain caused by pinched nerves and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. But how does it work?
PEA binds to a receptor (called PPAR-α) in the cell nucleus, interrupting the production of molecules involved in pain and inflammation. It also activates endocannabinoid receptors that influence pain and inflammation, and reduces the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes and mast cells. The result? Peripheral and central nerves are less reactive – PEA helps calm the nervous system – meaning less pain overall.
In one double-blind placebo-controlled trial, over 600 adults with sciatic pain received a placebo, 300 mg, or 600 mg of PEA per day, in addition to their usual therapies, for three weeks. The 600 mg and 300 mg doses helped reduce pain (on the Visual Analog Scale) by an average of 71% and 45%, respectively, compared to a 30% reduction with placebo.
Each Natural Factors vegan-friendly capsule of PEA400 contains 400 mg of PEA to be taken in a daily dose of three capsules. This provides the dosage used in many successful clinical trials and is well tolerated with few to no reported side effects.
