The “Love Drug”
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Get PEA-Brained!
Today weโll be looking at phenylethylamine, or PEA, to its friends.
Not to be mistaken for the related amino acid phenylalanine! Both ultimately have effects on the dopaminergic system, but the process and benefits are mostly quite different.
We thought weโd do this one in the week of Valentineโs Day, because of its popular association with love:
โPhenylethylamine (PEA), an amphetamine-like substance that has been alluringly labeled the “chemical of love,” makes the best case for the love-chocolate connection since it has been shown that people in love may actually have higher levels of PEA in their brain, as surmised from the fact that their urine is richer in a metabolite of this compound. In other words, people thrashing around in the throes of love pee differently from others.โ
Source: Office for Science and Society | The Chemical of Love
What is it?
Itโs an amino acid. Because we are mammals, we can synthesize it inside our bodies, so itโs not considered an โessential amino acidโ, i.e. one that we need to get from our diet. It is found in some foods, though, including:
- Other animals, especially other mammals
- Various beans, legumes, nuts, seeds. In particular almonds, soybeans, lentils, and chickpeas score highly
- Fermented foods
- Chocolate (popular lore holds this to be a good source of PEA; science finds it to be a fair option, but not in the same ballpark as the other items)
Fun fact: the reason Marvelโs Venom has a penchant for eating humans and chocolate is (according to the comics) because phenylethylamine is an essential amino acid for it.
What does it do for us?
Itโs a Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant, and also helps us synthesize critical neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine (adrenaline) and serotonin:
It works similarly, but not identically, to amphetamines:
Is it safe?
We normally do this after the benefits, but โit works similarly to amphetaminesโ may raise an eyebrow or two, so letโs do it here:
- It is recommended to take no more than 500mg/day, with 100mgโ500mg being typical doses
- It is not recommended to take it at all if you have, or have a predisposition to, any kind of psychotic disorder (especially schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder wherein you sometimes experience mania)
- This isnโt a risk for most people, but if you fall into the above category, the elevated dopamine levels could nudge you into a psychotic/manic episode that you probably donโt want.
See for example: Does phenylethylamine cause schizophrenia?
There are other contraindications too, so speak with your doctor/pharmacist before trying it.
On the other hand, if you are considering ADHD medication, then phenylethylamine could be a safer thing to try first, to see if it helps, before going to the heavy guns of actual amphetamines (as are commonly prescribed for ADHD). Same goes for depression and antidepressants.
What can I expect from PEA?
More dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Mostly the former two. Which means, you can expect stimulation.
For focus and attention, itโs so effective that it has been suggested (as we mentioned above) as a safer alternative to ADHD meds:
ฮฒ-phenylethylamine, a small molecule with a large impact
โฆand may give similar benefits to people without ADHD, namely improved focus, attention, and mental stamina:
It also improves mood:
โPhenylethylamine (PEA), an endogenous neuroamine, increases attention and activity in animals and has been shown to relieve depression in 60% of depressed patients. It has been proposed that PEA deficit may be the cause of a common form of depressive illness.
Effective dosage did not change with time. There were no apparent side effects. PEA produces sustained relief of depression in a significant number of patients, including some unresponsive to the standard treatments. PEA improves mood as rapidly as amphetamine but does not produce tolerance.โ
Source: Sustained antidepressant effect of PEA replacement
Where can I get it?
We donโt sell it, but here is an example product on Amazon for your convenience ๐
Enjoy!
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Hazelnuts vs Pistachios โ Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing hazelnuts to pistachios, we picked the hazelnuts.
Why?
An argument could be made for either, depending on what we prioritize! So there was really no wrong answer here today, but it is good to know what each nutโs strengths are:
In terms of macros, pistachios have more fiber, carbs, protein, and (mostly healthy) fat. That does make them the “more food per food” option, but it’s worth noting that while hazelnuts have more fiber, they also have a higher margin of difference when it comes to their greater carb count, and resultantly, hazelnuts do have the lower glycemic index. That said, they’re still both low-GI foods, so we’ll call this section a win for pistachios overall.
When it comes to vitamins, hazelnuts have more of vitamins B3, B5, B9, C, E, K, and choline, while pistachios have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, and B6. So, a fair 7:4 win for hazelnuts here.
In the category of minerals, hazelnuts have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, while pistachios have more phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. A clear 6:3 win for hazelnuts.
In short, both are good sources of many nutrients, so choose according to what you want to prioritize, or better yet, enjoy both.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts
Take care!
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Does โA Little Dirtโ Help Or Harm, vs Allergies?
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We’re not talking about exposure to the allergen in question, by the way.
But first let’s mention that yes, that can help (albeit should be done under very controlled conditions only with appropriate medical professionals, in the case of things that can cause anaphylactic shock and death).
If you’re interested in that, see: Peanut Allergy Diagnoses Have Been Halved: What Did They Do?
But no, we really are talking about “a little dirt” where the dirt in question is not, itself, allergenic.
Natural inoculation
Researchers (Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov et al.) have found that early-life exposure to diverse microbes and proteins builds broad immune memory that shifts responses away from allergy-driving IgE antibodies, and towards protective IgG antibodies, reducing later allergic reactions (to anything).
About that “anything”…
Yes, it gives cross-reactive immune memory: exposure to many microbes and antigens created immune memory that protected against new, previously unseen allergens.
No, that doesn’t mean it’ll definitely prevent all and any allergies, it simply means it reduces the risk of all and any allergies.
How it works: cross-reactive adaptive immunity suppressed type II immune responses and reduced IgE-mediated mast cell activation.
Or, translating that from sciencese:
Why it works: immune systems trained by real-world environments respond to harmless real-world allergens in a balanced way, instead of overreacting.
You can read the paper in full, here: Environmentally driven immune imprinting protects against allergy
You may be wondering about general hygiene, and isn’t handwashing, use of sanitizer, etc, important to protect against disease? And yes, yes it is.
See also: The Truth About Handwashing
However, in the words of Dr. Medzhitov,
โBut the tradeoff is that our immune system is in this untrained, unprepared state, and otherwise harmless exposures trigger a pathological allergic responseโ
So, does this “natural inoculation” mean we should skip vaccines?
No.
This is about encountering harmless microbes in order to train the immune system to respond in a balanced fashion to something that is neither wanted nor a serious threat.
With this kind of well-trained reaction, the body is more likely to be able to one day encounter a peanut and not immediately kill itself in response.
However, that’s about things that are not in and of themselves a serious threat (except insofar as the body might have overreacted to them)
There is an important difference between a peanut and a deadly virus that has evolved to take over the cells of your body until you die:
- In the case of a peanut, the ideal bodily response is “don’t worry about it”
- In the case of a deadly virus or bacterium, the ideal bodily response is “destroy it by any means necessary”
For more on that, see: Why Some People Get Sick More (And How To Not Be One Of Them)
Want to learn more?
For much more detail than we can go into here, check out this excellent book that we reviewed a while back:
Itโs worth noting that with regard to the first-named author there, the bio begins:
โKari Nadeau, MD, PhD, is the director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University and is one of the worldโs leading experts on food allergyโ
We mention this, because thereโs a lot of quack medicine out there [in general, but especially] when it comes to things such as food allergies. So letโs be clear up front that Dr. Nadeau is actually a world-class professional at the top of her field ๐
Take care!
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One More Reason To Prioritize Sleep To Fight Cognitive Decline
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We’ve talked sometimes at 10almonds about how important sleep is for many aspects of health, including for brain health, and including in later life.
There’s a common myth that older people require less sleep; the reality is that sleeping less and not dying of it does not equate to needing less.
See also: Sleep: Yes, You Really Do Still Need It!
And: How Sleep-Deprived Are You, Really?
Quantity is not everything though; quality absolutely matters too. We’ve written about that here:
The 6 Dimensions Of Sleep (And Why They Matter) โ duration is just one dimension out of the six
We’ve even gone into some more obscure, but still very important things, such as: How Your Sleep Position Changes Dementia Risk
We’ve also talked about the role of sleep in memory (and forgetting): How Your Brain Chooses What To Remember
With that in mind…
Some more recent science
This study was about spatial memory, but what’s important (in our opinion) is that it’s about solidifying recent learning.
Researchers measured brain activity in rats for up to 20 hours of sleep following spatial learning tasks. Initially, the neuronal patterns observed during sleep mirrored those from the learning phase. However, as sleep progressed, these patterns transformed to resemble the activity seen when the rats later recalled the locations of food rewards. Interestingly, this reorganization happened during non-REM sleep, which means it wasn’t just a case of “the rats were dreaming about their day” (which is a well-established way in which memories do get encoded), but rather, the newly-learned experiences were being actively encoded in the rest of sleep.
This is critical, because in age-related cognitive decline, it’s very common for very long-term memory (VLTM) to remain intact, while LTM and short-term memory (STM) crumble. For example, someone may remember many details of their life from 20 years ago, but forget where they currently live, or what happened in the conversation two minutes ago.
In other words, the biggest problem is not the storage of memories, but rather the encoding of them in the first place.
Which sleep facilitates!
And it’s also important to note that part about it being the rest of sleep, because when the brain is sleep-deprived, it’ll tend to prioritize REM sleep, which is important, but that means cutting back on other phases of sleep, and from this study, we can see that memory & learning will be amongst the things adversely affected by such cuts.
Here’s the paper, for those interested:
Sleep stages antagonistically modulate reactivation drift
And for those who prefer lighter reading, here’s a pop-science article about the same study, which explains it in more words than we can here:
But wait, there’s more!
Sleep resets neurons for new memories the next day, study finds
So, once again… It is absolutely critical to prioritize good sleep.
Want to know more?
Check out:
Calculate (And Enjoy) The Perfect Nightโs Sleep
Take care!
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Peanuts vs Pistachios โ Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing peanuts to pistachios, we picked the peanuts.
Why?
The choice might be surprising; after all, peanuts are usually the cheapest and most readily available nuts, popularly associated with calories and not much else. However! This one was super-close, and peanuts won very marginally, as youโll see.
In terms of macros, peanuts have slightly more protein and fats, while pistachios have slightly more fiber and nearly 2x the carbs. What we all as individuals might prioritize more there is subjective, but this could arguably be considered a tie. About the fiber and carbs: peanuts have the lower glycemic index, but not by much. And about those fats: yes, they are healthy, and the fat breakdown for each is almost identical: peanuts have 53% monounsaturated, 34% polyunsaturated, and 14% saturated, while pistachios have 53% monounsaturated, 33% polyunsaturated, and 14% saturated, while. Yes, that adds up to 101% in the case of peanuts, but thatโs what happens with rounding things to integers. However, the point is clear: both of these nuts have almost identical fats.
In the category of vitamins, peanuts have more of vitamins B3, B5, B9, E, and choline, while pistachios have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. So, a 5:5 tie on vitamins.
When it comes to minerals, peanuts have more iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc, while pistachios have more calcium, copper, phosphorus, and potassium, So, a marginal victory for peanuts (and yes, the margins of difference were similarly small in each case).
Adding up the tie, the other tie, and the marginal victory for peanuts, means a marginal victory for peanuts in total.
A quick note in closing though: this was comparing raw unsalted nuts in both cases, so do take that into account when buying nuts, and at the very least, skip the salted, unless you are deficient in sodium. Or if youโre using them for cooking, then buying salted nuts because theyโre usually cheaper is fine; just soak and rinse them to remove the salt.
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts
Enjoy!
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What Causes Your Appendix To Burst?
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And what does it feel like?
Spoiler: it isnโt fun
Story time: in April 1961, during the Sixth Soviet Antarctic Expedition, Dr. Leonid Rogozov developed appendicitis while isolated by a blizzard, leaving him with the choice of waiting for help (near certain death) or performing surgery on himself (not an enviable task, but fair chance of survival); he successfully removed his own appendix under local anesthesia and returned to work two weeks later.
And that’s why it’s now not uncommon to have a prophylactic appendectomy before going there!
First, let’s bust a myth: the appendix is a small, worm-shaped pouch attached to the large intestine that contains a diverse community of gut microbes; although once considered a useless evolutionary remnant, evidence suggests it evolved independently in many mammals, suggesting it serves some useful functions, such as (at the very least) acting as a non-moving (unlike the rest of the gut) reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, and/or contributing to beneficial immune responses.
However. Sometimes the immune responses are not at all beneficial, and appendicitis usually begins when the appendix becomes blocked, often by an appendicolith (hardened feces), or when infections and/or misfiring immune responses cause nearby lymph tissue to swell and seal its opening.
This gets very dangerous very quickly because the appendix is a closed-ended pouch, meaning blockage causes pressure to build, allowing bacteria to multiply rapidly; as swelling increases, blood flow is reduced, weakening the appendix until it may rupture, releasing bacteria into the abdominal cavity and causing a potentially life-threatening infection.
How to recognize it: appendicitis typically causes pain that begins near the belly button before moving to the lower right abdomen and becoming more severe, unlike a typical stomach ache.
Not included in the video, but there’s a useful self-check that you can do too: if you are experiencing a sharp pain in that general area and are worrying if it is appendicitis, then pressing on the appropriately named McBurneyโs point is a first-line test for appendicitis. If, after pressing, it hurts a lot more upon removal of pressure (rather than upon application of pressure), this is considered a likely sign of appendicitis. Get thee to a hospital, quickly.
And if it doesnโt? Still get it checked out at your earliest convenience, of course (better safe than sorry), but you might make an appointment instead of calling an ambulance.
For more on all of this (apart from that last addition of ours), enjoy:Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesnโt Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis
Take care!
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The Healthiest Bread Recipe You’ll Probably Find
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Itโs Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? You can always hit โreplyโ to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!
In cases where weโve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future tooโthereโs always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, weโll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, weโll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
โ[About accidental scalding with water] Is cold water actually the best immediate treatment for a burn? Maybe there is something better, or something I should apply after the cold water.โ
If this is a case of spilled tea or similarโas in your story, which (apologies) we clipped for brevityโindeed, cold running water is best, and nothing else should be needed. Itโs up to you whether you want to invest the time based on the extent of the scalding, but 10 minutes is recommended to minimize tissue damage.
If itโs a more severe scalding or burning, seek medical attention immediately. If itโs a burn to anywhere other than the airway, cold running water is still best for 10 minutes, but if you have to choose between that and professional medical attention, donโt delay the help.
If itโs a burn youโve given 10 minutes of cold running water and it still hurts and/or has blistered, cover it in a sterile, non-adhesive dressing that extends well beyond the visible burn (because the actual damage probably extends further, and you donโt want to find this out the hard way later). If the burn is to the face, do still irrigate but not cover it; wait for help.
Do not apply any kind of cream, lotion, oil, etc. No matter how tempting, no matter where the burn is.
All of the above also goes for splashed oil, chemical burns, and electrical burns too (but obviously, make sure to get away from the electricity first).
Source: this ex-military writer was trained for this sort of thing and, suffice it to say, has dealt with more serious things than spilled tea before now.
Legal note: notwithstanding the above, we are a health science newsletter, not paramedics. Also, circumstances may differ, and best practices may change. In the case of serious injury, call emergency services first, and follow their instructions over ours.
Take care!
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