Reduction of fatigue and anger-hostility by the oral administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study

Abstract

Although large populations feel fatigue, the standardized medicinal therapy is currently absent. In this study, we determined whether 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) supplementation alleviates the feeling of fatigue in healthy subjects who feel chronic physical tiredness. Males and females between ages of 20 and 64 who felt physical fatigue on a daily basis, with a visual analogue scale (VAS) for fatigue ≥ 40 mm, a T-score of Fatigue-Inertia in the Profile of Mood States—Second Edition—Adult (POMS2-A) ≥ 50, and a T-score of Vigor-Activity in POMS2-A ≤ 60 were recruited. Seventy eligible participants were randomly assigned to either a 5-ALA or a placebo group. During the 8 weeks of consumption, the subjects completed VAS questionnaires for fatigue and POMS2-A at 4-week intervals. The VAS values for overall feeling of fatigue and feeling of work-related fatigue, and the Anger-Hostility subscale of POMS2-A were decreased by 5-ALA with significant time × group interaction effects (p = 0.040, 0.020, and 0.045, respectively). Besides, the 5-ALA group showed significant differences in Fatigue-Inertia, Depression-Dejection and Total Mood Disturbance scores, when compared between pre- and post-intervention, while the placebo group did not. In conclusion, the oral administration of 5-ALA improves fatigue and negative mood in subjects who constantly feel physical fatigue. This clinical trial was registered with University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) as UMIN000031528 on 2/3/2018.

How emotional changes affect skin odor and its impact on others

“…The higher the T-scores for AH, CB, DD, FI, and TA, the more negative the mood. Conversely, positive mood states, such as VA and F, indicate that the higher the T score, the better the mood [ 13 – 15 ].…”

Topical Photodynamic Therapy with Different Forms of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis

“…When administered by mouth, ALA-P has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels [16]. Furthermore, Higashikawa et al observed that ALA-P diminished the severity of negative emotions in individuals continuously feeling physically fatigued [17]. All this made us presume that if orally used ALA-P is safe, effective and well tolerated, it could also be applied onto the skin with no need for in vivo tests to treat AK lesions with the use of PDT.…”

Characteristic Odor Emanating From Skin During Emotional Tension

“…Conversely, positive mood states, such as vigor-activity (VA) and friendliness (F), indicate that the higher the T score, the better the mood [23]. POMS is also used in various research elds to measure mood disturbance and/or fatigue [24,25]. The results showed that sni ng the model's tension-stress odor increased negative emotions such as tension-anxiety (TA), fatigue-inertia (FI), and confusion-confusion (CB).…”

“…This research is not only an etiquette issue in interpersonal relationships but is also applicable to the personal management of mental health and smooth communication in social interaction in the case of a serious COVID-19 pandemic. Conversely, in the rescue of victims of natural and man-made disasters, consideration is given to the use of human body odor as a clue for those who are still alive [25][26][27]. The perspective of tension-and stress-induced human odor in the eld of rescue can be extremely helpful in detecting humans in crisis.…”