Supplementation with a phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidic acid complex (PAS) was observed to normalize stress-related dysregulations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPAA) axis.
Seventy-five healthy male volunteers were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, stratified by chronic stress level, and randomly assigned to one of three study arms (placebo, PAS 200, or PAS 400 per day). The study supplement was administered to each participant for 42 days.
Results: Chronic stress levels and other baseline measures did not differ between treatment groups (all p>0.05). Acute stress was successfully induced by TSST and resulted in HPAA hyperresponsiveness in chronically stressed subjects. Compared to placebo, supplementation with a daily dose of PAS 400 was effective in normalizing ACTH (p=0.010), salivary (p=0.043), and serum cortisol (p=0.035) responses to the TSST in chronically highly stressed but not low stressed subjects (all p>0.05).
Compared to placebo, supplementation with PAS 200 resulted in no significant differences in these variables (all p>0.05). There were no significant effects of supplementation with PAS on heart rate, pulse transit time, or psychological stress response (all p>0.05).
CONCLUSION: In chronically stressed subjects, supplementation with PAS 400 (MemreePlus™) may normalize HPAA hyperresponsiveness to an acute stressor.
