DMAE (Dimethylethanolamine) Review
DMAE, also known as Dimethylethanolamine has become popular as an ingredient to be included in some diet pills.
Research into DMAE and its potential effects:
- One short-term study showed “an increase in vigilance and alertness, with a positive influence on mood.” Read the study here. ((Eur J Med Res. 2003 May 30;8(5):183-91))
- Long-term studies leave plenty of room for debate. Cherkin and Exkardt conducted a study showing a “possible reduction in the average life span of quail.” Read the study here. ((Journal of Gerontology 32(1):38-45, 1977)) Also keep in mind that this study was not done on humans.
- DMAE is hawked many times in cosmetic products. One study in the British Journal of Dermatology done by Dr. Francois Marceau of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec stated: “From our point of view the cells are altered. They stop dividing, they stop secreting, and after…24 hours a certain proportion of them die.” As discussed in the article ((Harding, Anne. “”Instant Face Lift” Chemical DMAE Damages Skin Cells.” Reuters. 18 Apr. 2007. 15 Jan. 2008 <http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL85568520070418>.)), apply DMAE to cultured rabbit and human skin cells caused “a massive and rapid swelling of the cells as they filled with DMAE and water, leading to a thickening of the epidermal layer…[finding] that DMAE was toxic to the skin cells.” While Marceau qualified their results by saying that this “facelift in a jar” is certainly safer than a real facelift, or Botox injections, he simply stated that he wished to see “more science in this field.”
From the research I could gather, DMAE may have a positive influence on mood, but, as a topical solution, should probably be researched significantly more before it can be taken seriously as an ingredient to be included in a diet pill.