The supplement industry is a booming industry, with an estimated net worth of $16 billion. A survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference indicated that more than 52 percent of Americans above the age of 20 use nutritional supplements. It thus may be plausible to suggest that supplement use is significant amongst GVSU students, especially for those who are health-conscious.

In the midst of all supplements, there are numerous products marketed for the physically active, including athletes of all levels, fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders and the like. Of these sport supplements, many share a common ingredient, which happens to be one of the most powerful legal CNS stimulants known to man. This ingredient, or molecular compound, is known as DMAA, or molecularly named 1,3-dimethylamylamine. DMAA is primarily marketed by sport supplement companies to individuals with interest in increasing one’s physical and mental intensity, focus and endurance.

Chemically speaking, the compound DMAA is in a unique class of CNS stimulants, due to its molecular structure. In comparison to pharmaceutical-grade amphetamine, the particular arrangement of atoms and substituents is significant. The primary difference between the two compounds is the presence of what is chemically referred to as a “phenyl group,” which is essentially the ring-like structure present at the end of the amphetamine structure. Regardless of this relatively small verity, the two compounds have very similar properties on human neurotransmitter release and reuptake.

In comparison to regular caffeine, the structure of DMAA is quite distinguished. The molecular structure of caffeine in has a completely different formula and configuration when compared to DMAA, consisting of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen double bonds.

This particular arrangement of atoms in caffeine accounts for its relatively low half-life of 4-6 hours, in comparison to DMAA’s longer half-life of 7-9 hours. This longer half-life is due to the methyl substituent on the alpha carbon of DMAA (the carbon connected to the NH2), which prolongs the drug’s time spent in the body by sterically interfering with monoamine oxidase.

Generally, longer half-life correlates to increased potential for bodily toxicity due to build up. This can create health problems if an individual takes DMAA, and even many hours later, ingests any CNS stimulant. Moreover, the combination of DMAA and caffeine introduces a synergistic bodily effect that may be lethal when used in high amounts.

For example, the combination of DMAA and caffeine, which is used in many sport supplements, can increase systolic blood pressure by 26 mmHg, as opposed to the increase of 8 mmHg and 10 mmHg of caffeine and DMAA alone, respectively. In high amounts, these two compounds together can cause cardiac arrest and may be fatal.

Alarmingly, DMAA is completely legal for sale to the general public via over-the-counter supplements. In contrast, amphetamines are only available via prescription from a licensed physician, usually to patients diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is a huge issue, considering there is no safe dose established by the FDA for DMAA. Moreover, supplement companies are not regulated by the FDA, and can market any substance for profit as long as companies use a disclaimer. This deadly combination can result in individuals who both unknowingly ingest the substance due to undisclosed supplement ingredients, and in ambiguous amounts.

Within the last four years, agencies such as the NCAA, WADA and NFL have just began to include this compound on their prohibited lists. Unfortunately, one GVSU athlete, Zach Breen, a starting linebacker and defensive back in 2011, tested positive for DMAA. Zach claims he was using supplements but was unaware of the ingredient and its recent prohibition of use, but was nevertheless banned from nearly half of his senior football season.

It is therefore imperative for athletes to check with their coaching staff in regards to legal and illegal supplements that can be utilized to improve athletic performance. Moreover, it is crucial for recreational athletes, fitness enthusiasts and others who take supplements to realize what exactly is in the products that they take and to ingest them at their own risk. CNS stimulators can be risky to the human body, and it is imperative that individuals take the initiative to do their own research on products and opt for healthier alternatives.

By Tyler Madden

Junior, Biomedical Science