Phenylethylamine
Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a trace amine that the body makes from the amino acid phenylalanine. It occurs in small amounts in foods such as chocolate.
Also listed as PEA, β-phenylethylamine, phenethylamine, β-phenethylamine
Is there an established safe supplement dose?
The Dutch NVWA’s 2021 assessment could not derive a health-based guidance value for PEA because suitable dose-response data were lacking. Animal studies identified cardiovascular and behavioral effects, but do not quantify the risk of a typical human oral dose. 1
The assessment describes increased blood pressure in rats given injected PEA with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. This is an interaction warning from animal research, not a measured human risk rate; combining agents that alter PEA breakdown warrants particular caution. 1
For information, not individual medical advice. Ingredient studies do not establish the effectiveness of these products.