It is really unfortunate that both Phenylethylamine and Palmitoylethanolamide are called PEA as they are totally different supplements. I take Palmitoylethanolamide.
A quick Google of Phenylethylamine +Parkinson's finds: Contribution of β-phenethylamine, a component of chocolate and wine, to dopaminergic neurodegeneration: implications for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease 2013 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
"While the cause of dopaminergic neuronal cell death in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not yet understood, many endogenous molecules have been implicated in its pathogenesis. β-phenethylamine (β-PEA), a component of various food items including chocolate and wine, is an endogenous molecule produced from phenylalanine in the brain. It has been reported recently that long-term administration of β-PEA in rodents causes neurochemical and behavioral alterations similar to that produced by parkinsonian neurotoxins. The toxicity of β-PEA has been linked to the production of hydroxyl radical (.OH) and the generation of oxidative stress in dopaminergic areas of the brain, and this may be mediated by inhibition of mitochondrial complex-I. Another signifi cant observation is that administration of β-PEA to rodents reduces striatal dopamine content and induces movement disorders similar to those of parkinsonian rodents. However, no reports are available on the extent of dopaminergic neuronal cell death after administration of β-PEA. Based on the literature, we set out to establish β-PEA as an endogenous molecule that potentially contributes to the progressive development of PD. The sequence of molecular events that could be responsible for dopaminergic neuronal cell death in PD by consumption of β-PEA-containing foods is proposed here. Thus, long-term over-consumption of food items containing β-PEA could be a neurological risk factor having significant pathological consequences."
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I'm confused. Does what you are taking stop tremors? Is eating chocolate and drinking wine the cause of Parkinson's? Sorry I don't use. Please advise. Thanks
I'm sorry Smittybear, I am sure this is very difficult.
I don't have a tremor. I have not been diagnosed with PD. I have REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, which my Neurologist says will progress to PD. I also have a number of PD symptoms (but no tremor and no diagnosis).
I don't think Phenylethylamine or chocolate or red wine cause PD. I just wanted to alert people as Phenylethylamine and Palmitoylethanolamide are both called PEA and I don't want people getting confused and thinking I am taking Phenylethylamine when I mention PEA.
I think there is evidence, limited as it is, that Ultra Micronized Palmitoylethanolamide may slow (or even stop) PD progression. Like everything we try, it is probably a long shot.
Good luck and may God bless you. Feel welcome to ask more questions (but remember: I have a High School degree).
Thanks for your help! I am really frustrated and struggling. I have Parkinson's, just diagnosed with osteoporosis and stenosis plus 2 lesions of skin cancer. I appreciate all the information you share.
I just happened upon an article yesterday that said that Parkinson's patients had a higher chance of skin cancer. I was surprised. ---“An abundance of the protein alpha synuclein plays a big role in the development of PD,” Dr. Ritz explains. “Studies also show that people who have PD not only have a higher level of alpha synuclein in their brain but also their skin. That increased level of alpha synuclein in the skin puts you at a higher risk for melanoma.” connect.uclahealth.org/2021...
This makes me wonder if using the strongest sunscreen would have a helpful effect.
Very interesting article. Thanks so much for sharing. Fortunately I only have squamous cells I have several family members that have some form of skin cancer. I'll pass the article on to them and again thank you for your help
They have a new diagnostic test for Parkinson's , it is called Syn-one test. It looks for abnormal for of the protein alpha-synuclein in the nerves of the skin. It is a skin biopsy test. There are 5 conditions that carry abnormal alpha-synuclein. So a test that is positive can represent Parkinsons, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Pure autonomic failure, and REM sleep behavior disorder. This test will help with early diagnosis. The information was from the Pacific Movement Disorder Center: 310-582-7433
This paper which was recently brought to our attention suggests that the β-phenethylamine content of chocolate may aggravate Parkinson's neurodegeneration:
"Contribution of β-phenethylamine, a component of chocolate and wine, to dopaminergic neurodegeneration: implications for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease". The full text is available here: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Relevant passages:
"If a person takes 100 g of chocolate per day, the total β-PEA intake would be 0.36–0.83 mg/day depending on the type of chocolate [58] . Since β -PEA is an integral component of many food items, a “chocolate addict” would be exposed to a much higher dose."
They do not say which food items contain this additional β -PEA , and in any case this is a discussion of the effect of chocolate. 100 g is about three and half ounces. Personally I consume much less than that.
"It has recently been demonstrated that acute (one day) and chronic (7 days) intraperitoneal administration of β -PEA, both at doses of 0.63 mg/day and 1.25 mg/day, are sufficient to cause parkinsonian symptoms in adult mice [28] . These results suggest that the amount of chocolate that a person takes normally might be toxic to dopaminergic neurons."
Per the cited paper, " 2-Phenylethylamine, a constituent of chocolate and wine, causes mitochondrial complex-I inhibition, generation of hydroxyl radicals and depletion of striatal biogenic amines leading to psycho-motor dysfunctions in Balb/c mice", mice were dosed with β -PEA at 25 milligrams per kilogram and up. . [Note that a mouse weighs at most about 35 grams, .035 kilogram. So multiply the milligram figures in the preceding paragraph by about 30 to arrive at a milligrams per kilogram figure] Mice at this dosage did start to display neurological deficits. Applying the adjustment for differing metabolic rates gives an equivalent of 2 milligrams per kilogram for human, and extrapolating to a 50 kilogram human this is equivalent to a daily human dose of 100 milligrams of β - phenethylamine. This would require 100 kilograms of chocolate!
Thanks for clearing that up. My concern was that people would get confused and start buying Phenylethylamine supplements based on my posting about Palmitoylethanolamide.
It seems like the Mediterranean diet with a little wine has been the diet suggested to be the best in slowing the progression of Parkinsons or at least possibly slowing the onset of some troubling symptoms. My husband with Parkinson's does not drink wine and he used to drink craft beer once in a while but if there is phenylethylamine in wine and chocolate why do folks on the Mediterranean diet seem to have better outcomes? This is perplexing
I understand the benefits of the foods in the Mediterranean diet I was just wondering why if the wine contains phenylethylamine how and why would it be beneficial
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