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.1
  • 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. 2 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 article3, 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.

  1. Eur J Med Res. 2003 May 30;8(5):183-91 [↩]
  2. Journal of Gerontology 32(1):38-45, 1977 [↩]
  3. Harding, Anne. “”Instant Face Lift” Chemical DMAE Damages Skin Cells.” Reuters. 18 Apr. 2007. 15 Jan. 2008 <http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL85568520070418>. [↩]