Health Alert 246
Dear Subscriber:
You’ve heard the common reference to fish as ‘brain food.’ There is truth in the saying because fish have omega 3 fats. These good fats make up our brain cells. But some fish contain another important nutrient you don’t hear much about. This nutrient can stimulate your brain, improve your concentration and memory, and it may lengthen your life.
I’m going to show you how to use it to strengthen your mind and fight aging. It can even help those with learning and mental problems.
I’m talking about Dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE for short. DMAE is a natural, brain stimulating nutrient found in anchovies, sardines and other fish. Studies show it increases levels of acetylcholine. This is the memory and learning chemicals in the brain.1
It works so well the FDA planned to approve it as a drug. It would have been used to treat learning problems, behavioral problems, and loss of motor function found in a variety of diseases– even aging.
So what happened? The manufacturer wouldn’t agree to the expensive testing required to classify it as a drug. Since the manufacturer wouldn’t pay, the FDA dropped DMAE like a hot potato in exchange for Ritalin® and Alzheimer’s drugs. What a shame.
Unlike those medicines, DMAE provides a safe and non-addictive solution to a variety of cognitive and behavioral problems. Take the mental decline of Alzheimer’s disease. In part, the disease is due to the loss of brain cells that produce acetylcholine. DMAE replaces this chemical naturally and can ease symptoms.2
DMAE can also temper mood and ease behavioral and learning problems. In one study, hyperactive kids showed improvement in just 10 weeks.3 In another study, children with learning disabilities did better in concentration and skill tests.4 And there were no side like an increase in heart rate and blood pressure like with drugs.5
DMAE also has the potential to fight aging. According to Vitamin Research News, DMAE deserves "high ranking on the list of proven anti-aging supplements". It stabilizes cell membranes preserving them from the changes of aging. In a study with mice, scientists found DMAE increased longevity.6
Many of my elder patients notice an improvement in their memory, concentration, focus, mental clarity, even sleep. It’s no wonder that doctors in Europe commonly prescribe the drug Centrophenoxine, whose central ingredient is DMAE, to boost cognitive function in the aged.
How much should you take? For adults seeking anti-aging benefits or a mental boost, I recommend 100 to 300 mg twice daily. You may feel mild stimulation with your first dose or it may take several weeks to see results.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears MD
Sources:
1. Dean Ward M.D. ‘Anti-Aging Nutrient Review and Update Part 4: DMAE Cognitive-Enhancing, Life Extending Nutrient’ Vitamin Research News, September 2004, Vol. 18, Number 8, p. 1-4.
2. Ferris SH, Sathananthan G, Gershon S, Clark C. Senile dementia: treatment with deanol. J Am Geriatr Soc 1977; 25:241-4.
3. Coleman N., Dexheimer P., Dintascio A. Redman W. And Finnerty R., ‘Deanol in the treatment of hyperkinetic children’, Psychosomatics 1976, 17:68-72.
4. Geller S. J., ‘Comparison of a tranquilizer and a psychic energizer’ JAMA 1960, 174:89-92
5. Oettinger L., ‘The use of Deanol in the treatment of disorders of behavior in children. J Pediat 1958, 53:761-675.
6. Hochschild R. ‘Effect of dimethylaminoethanol on the life span of senile male A/J mice. Exp Gerontol 1973, 8(4): 185-191.