Basel, Switzerland—Research published in Lipids in Health and Disease shows that phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidic acid (PA) could possibly lower chronic stress levels in adults.

The study used a supplement blend of the two ingredients called MemreePlus (made by Lonza, based here), with 75 healthy adult males as participants.

The 75 participants took part in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, stratified by chronic stress level, and randomly allocated to one of three study arms. After six weeks of daily supplementation of MemreePlus, the subjects took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a combination of a job interview style presentation followed by a math challenge that is designed to provoke a certain stress response. Stress biomarkers were taken in all participants before and after the test. The authors of the study noted that several physiological markers of chronic stress, such as salivation and release of cortisol hormones, were normalized in the supplement group as opposed to the placebo group after the test. One curious result is that while these effects were noted in the chronically high-stressed subject, those who had lower stress levels following the test were minimally effected by the supplement.

Matthias Rüsing, PhD., global product manager for the Memree product line at Lonza, considers this to further validate this product as being a potentially viable aid for stress reduction. He also mentions that a similar study took place in 2004, where supplementation with a MemreePlus supplement significantly decreased levels of cortisol and distress after a stress test, as compared to placebo.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, September 2014