A very cool nutrient

What if I told you that there was a little-known nutrient that would not only firm up your saggy facial skin, get rid of age spots, help your heart, and boost your brain power as well. Interested?

DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) is something that every person over 40 should know about because it can work wonders and in a variety of ways.

“A prescription form of DMAE, called Deaner or Deanol, was already in use in the 1960s and 1970s for the treatment of learning and behavioral problems associated with shortened attention span. As early as 1959, treatment with DMAE was demonstrated to result in significantly improved test scores. A 1974 report on DMAE focused on two 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials involving 124 children with ADHD-related diagnoses. In one of these trials, positive results using DMAE were comparable to those using Ritalin. Similar positive results were also seen in a 1975 study, wherein a placebo-controlled trial in 74 children found that DMAE at 500mg daily was as effective as methylphenidate.

“In 1983, the FDA insisted on additional studies to prove the effectiveness of Deaner. Because the clinical trials would have been more expensive than the product’s sales could support, Deaner was taken off the market. DMAE, however, has continued to be available as a natural nutritional supplement, and is a subject of more recent investigations into so-called ‘smart drugs.’

“Given the ever-increasing pressures to achieve in modern society, it was only natural that a compound long used to treat brain dysfunction and memory disorders would be explored for its potential use as a memory enhancer and brain ‘booster.’

“Research has shown that DMAE’s cholinergic effects help produce brain chemicals such as acetylcholine that are necessary for mental sharpness. Some individuals accordingly report that DMAE supplementation causes a noticeable boost in their ability to concentrate. DMAE users also routinely report better memory (especially short-term memory), as well as improved focus, mental clarity, and sleep patterns, all of which may be particularly valuable for those who work in high-pressure or deadline-oriented environments.

“Many nutritionally aware physicians routinely prescribe DMAE in combination with additional memory enhancers such as phosphatidylcholine, a dietary supplement. DMAE’s action as an acetylcholine precursor may help with the memory lapses that commonly occur with normal aging.

Healing Properties

“Other aspects of the human aging process tend to be more visible than memory lapses. Treatment for sagging skin has become a multibillion-dollar industry, as growing numbers of older adults undergo expensive (and often recurrent) invasive surgical procedures. Recent studies involving a gel formulation containing DMAE have shown that the compound can increase skin firmness, even in younger subjects. Thirty healthy adults between the ages of 36 and 49 were given tests that measured changes in skin tautness after application with the DMAE gel, compared to placebo. Results indicated that the placebo had little or no effect on skin firmness, while the DMAE-treated skin exhibited greater tautness.

“Researchers offer two possible explanations for these results. First, DMAE may enhance water retention in connective skin tissue, causing the surface of the skin to tighten. The second, and more likely, explanation involves DMAE’s cholinergic feature, which enhances the skin’s ability to transmit acetylcholine. The neurotransmitter’s function in sending signals from nerves to muscles may promote a form of muscle tightening in the skin. It is important to note that although DMAE cannot fully reverse existing facial sagging, it may reduce its further progression. Some people report a cumulative effect with continued use of the compound.

“Age spots, or ‘liver spots,’ also may respond effectively to DMAE in cream, gel, or tablet form. Studies have shown that DMAE’s membrane-stabilizing properties reduced the accumulation of lipofuscin deposits inside cells. Lipofuscin, a brownish cellular pigment consisting of aggregated chunks of molecular waste formed by the inefficient metabolism of fatty acids, tends to occur in the cells of older people and is primarily responsible for age spots. DMAE has been shown to flush excess lipofuscin from affected skin cells.”

Age spots are one of the nasty side effects of getting old. A topical application of DMAE cream or lotion can help get rid of them.

“DMAE is a potent, site-specific free radical scavenger. An in-vitro study found that adding DMAE to myocytes (the heart’s pumping cells) protected individuals from cell damage resulting from ischemia, a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the heart, and from metabolic inhibition. Taken in the proper dosage, DMAE’s antioxidant effects can offer probable benefits of value in the maintenance of overall cellular health.”

The text quoted above was taken from LifeExtension magazine.

DMAE is probably not available locally; this means you’ll have to order it online.

It’s a little tricky because there are topical lotions that you can apply directly to your face, in order to tighten the skin and remove age spots; but the caps (or powder) you take internally will improve mental function and clarity, as well as helping your heart.

So there are a couple of ways to take DMAE.

I have had no experience whatsoever with the facial crèmes, and there are a lot of them on eBay. The prices vary, as do the formulations. Some contain a compound called hylauronic acid (which is beneficial); others contain other ingredients, such as moisturizers. Read the descriptions carefully, and be sure to check if the seller has 100 percent positive feedback.

Many of these products (both the internal and the external) are available from swansonvitamins.com – a Website I heartily recommend. They have thousands of products, and ship quickly (shipping, regardless of size of the order, is $8.99 from North Dakota to the CNMI).

One thing I do, and have done for years, is to make a morning “cocktail” of nutrients. This has been of great help to me and also to my wife.

I ordered some DMAE powder, in order to give my brain power a little boost, and also to help my wife, who has occasional memory lapses and lack of focus.

My wife is from China, and I think years of eating Chinese food—usually with added MSG (monosodium glutamate—aka “wei jing”) messed up her brain.

If you want your brain to be in peak form, avoid MSG/wei jing as much as possible. Yes, it enhances the flavor, but it fogs your brain—especially if it’s been part of your diet for years.

I can’t say that taking DMAE will reverse, or even counter, the negative effects of MSG, but if it improves brain function and mental clarity, then I’m all for it. And if the crème makes my age spots go away, I’ll become a spring chicken again. Maybe.