New research published in Pflügers Archiv – European Journal of Physiology found that supplementation with Levagen®+, a highly bioavailable palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) ingredient, supports the bioactive lipid response in skeletal muscle following strenuous, muscle-damaging exercise.
The double-blind, randomized crossover study included 10 healthy young men who received either Levagen+ or placebo twice daily for six days. Participants received 700 mg of Levagen+ per day, divided into two 350 mg doses, and completed a muscle-damaging exercise protocol consisting of 24 sets of 10 eccentric knee-extension contractions. Each participant completed both study conditions, separated by a three-week washout period.
Researchers collected skeletal muscle biopsies at baseline and 48 hours following exercise and analyzed the samples using LC-MS/MS-based lipidomics. The 48-hour time point was selected because muscle soreness and reductions in muscle strength typically peak around this time following strenuous exercise. The results showed that Levagen+ reduced the drop in bioactive lipid levels typically seen in muscle after strenuous exercise, helping support the body’s natural lipid signaling during recovery.
“What makes this publication especially meaningful is how the research began,” said John Quilter, CEO of Saanroo. “This started as a Ph.D. research project looking at PEA, exercise, and muscle health, and what makes this research particularly valuable is that independent academic investigators were able to look beyond traditional markers and examine what was happening within skeletal muscle at the lipidomic level. The findings raise new questions about how PEA may influence the body’s response to strenuous exercise, and that is exactly what we want our research program to do: generate evidence that advances our understanding of PEA while identifying where the next questions should be asked.”
The research was led by Moniek Schouten as part of her Ph.D. work at KU Leuven. Saanroo provided Levagen+ free of charge and did not financially fund the study. Funding was provided through a Research Foundation Flanders Ph.D. fellowship awarded to Schouten, and the authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could represent a potential conflict of interest.
Across several lipid pathways, researchers found that multiple mediators that declined following exercise with placebo were maintained or increased with PEA supplementation. MCTR3, a lipid mediator involved in resolution processes, was also 114% higher overall in the PEA condition compared with placebo. The study provides mechanistic insight into how PEA may influence the biochemical environment within skeletal muscle following strenuous exercise. Researchers found no differences between PEA and placebo in muscle strength, explosivity, pain, or muscle-damage markers, and noted that further research is needed to determine whether the observed lipid changes translate into physiologically meaningful outcomes for performance and recovery.
The findings add to the growing body of research for Levagen+ and are particularly notable for examining bioactive lipid mediators directly in human skeletal muscle following muscle-damaging exercise, an area that has received comparatively limited research attention.
“Independent academic research can take the science in directions you may not initially anticipate,” Quilter added. “This study gives us a deeper look at what is happening within skeletal muscle at the lipidomic level, while also highlighting important questions that remain unanswered. For us, that is the value of continued research. The 19 published studies on Levagen+ each add to our understanding of PEA and help inform where the science should go next.”
Levagen+ is a clinically studied form of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) formulated with Pharmako Biotechnologies’ LipiSperse® dispersion technology to support enhanced absorption. Levagen+ has been studied across various areas of health, including joint health, sleep, sports performance and recovery, cognitive health, aches and discomfort, women’s health, and more.
To learn more about Levagen+ and Saanroo’s portfolio of clinically researched ingredients, visit levagenplus.com/ or Saanroo.com.
REFERENCE: Schouten, M., Costamagna, D., Ramaekers, M. et al. Palmitoylethanolamide supplementation partly modulates eccentric exercise-induced changes in the bioactive lipid profile of skeletal muscle tissue. Pflugers Arch – Eur J Physiol 478, 77 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-026-03208-6
