Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Defense announced it will not take any chances with supplements containing DMAA, as it has decided to pull such products from stores on its bases, according to Army Times. This ban included GNC shops on bases worldwide, and will stay in effect until an investigation is completed.

In mid-December, the deaths of two army personnel were being investigated as being caused by DMAA. The soldiers died earlier in 2011 of heart failure and had DMAA in their systems, possibly from dietary supplements. Others in the army that used products containing DMAA had suffered from kidney failure, liver failure, seizures and more.

An ingredient in some bodybuilding and weight-loss supplements, DMAA (1,3 dimethylamylamine) has been embroiled in controversy before because there isn’t consensus about whether it is synthetic or can be naturally derived from geranium oil. The stimulant is currently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2012