Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and bones & joints
What 4 graded rows on palmitoylethanolamide (pea) agree on for bones & joints, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and bones & joints
4 rows · 2,253 peopleThey agree: all 4 rows found an improvement.
- BGrade B× 2
- CGrade C× 2
- Rows
- 4
- Trials
- 4
- At least: a review without a trial count
- People
- 2,253
- Pooled reviews may count some twice
What the rows share
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade B, is a meta-analysis of 1,298 people (2017) and found an improvement.
The rows run from 70 to 1,298 people, published from 2017 to 2023: 2 pooled reviews and 2 single studies.
The rows
4 improved- BGrade BPain versus inactive controls · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 1,298 · 2017 · 786 patients on PEA and 512 controls in 10 studies
Varied across studies · Varied across studies
Pain fell more than with inactive controls (weighted mean difference 2.03 points); dropouts did not differ.
Row on the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page · PubMed 28727699 (opens PubMed)
- BGrade BChronic pain scores · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 774 · 2023 · Patients with chronic pain in 11 double-blind RCTs
Varied across trials · Varied across trials
Pain scores fell 1.68 points more than with comparators on an 11-point scale (95% CI 1.05 to 2.31), with very high heterogeneity between trials (I² 93%).
Row on the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page · PubMed 36986081 (opens PubMed)
- CGrade CKnee osteoarthritis pain · Improved
RCT · n 111 · 2019 · Adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis
300 or 600 mg/day in two doses · 8 weeks
Worst and least pain scores fell at both doses versus placebo, and anxiety scores dropped; clinical blood markers did not change.
Row on the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page · PubMed 30927159 (opens PubMed)
- CGrade CDiabetic peripheral nerve pain · Improved
RCT · n 70 · 2022 · Adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and peripheral neuropathy
600 mg/day · 8 weeks
Total pain and pain-interference scores fell significantly versus placebo.
Row on the Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) page · PubMed 36057884 (opens PubMed)