IWAKUNI, Japan - The Department of Defense has implemented a temporary moratorium on the sales of products containing dimethylamylamine within military facilities.
The moratorium will remain in effect pending further review of relevant scientific evidence and reported events, DoD officials said.
Recent reports show two soldier deaths and additional adverse health effects in other service members may be related to the use of dietary supplements containing DMAA.
“We support the decision of the military exchanges and commissaries to remove products containing DMAA from their shelves until we can make a further determination about the safety of this ingredient,” said Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director of Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness.
DMAA is sold as a single supplement and in combination with multiple other ingredients. It is often combined with caffeine, a legal, natural stimulant. Stimulants may accelerate metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure, which may increase the body’s production of heat, especially in hot and humid conditions.
“We are concerned about reports of heat illness, kidney [and] liver damage, and sudden death in service members who reportedly used products containing DMAA,” Kilpatrick said.
Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, asked the surgeons general of the military services to conduct a review of available scientific evidence and reports to better understand any potential relationship between DMAA and these events. Recommendations from this review will guide further decisions, officials said.
“We take the health of our service members and families very seriously, and believe this action is necessary as a precautionary measure until we can learn more,” said Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, Army surgeon general.
This temporary ban should not alarm station service members who currently consume any supplements that contain DMAA as the move by the DoD is only being done as a precautionary measure to determine whether or not the chemical was in fact the cause of the aforementioned incidents said Terrence J. Riley, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron substance abuse control officer.