Washing Your Hair Could Affect Your Memory

[pindakaas]

Washing your hair might make you lose your mind. Sounds like a line from the cover of a tabloid magazine , but it's the focus of government research.

Researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests an ingredient found in some soaps and shampoos might affect memory.

Medical Reporter Helen Chickering said new research in animals suggests shampoo suds may be washing away more than dirt.

"The research centers around an ingredient found in shampoos, soaps and a lot of other products we use to keep clean . It's called DEA. It's the stuff that helps makes soap and shampoo soft and bubbly but there's also some research that shows DEA may rob the brain's ability to make memory cells," said University of North Carolina School Of Public Health researcher Dr. Steven Zeisel.

Zeisel has uncovered evidence in mice that suggests DEA, and a similar ingredient -- TEA -- seep through the skin and block the brain's ability to absorb choline, a key nutrient that plays a crucial role in the memory cell making process in the developing brain.

"And what we found, for example, is that low choline causes half as many cells to be divided as when you give extra choline, so that's a huge change," said Zeisel.

Earlier research by Zeisel showed that mice that were deprived of choline in the womb weren't as sharp as the animals whose mothers were fed a choline-rich diet.

Now researchers want to see if the choline blocking effect found in DEA and TEA will have the same memory robbing impact.

"And our hypothesis is that they will, and we'll be able to show that doses of this compound administered frequently will cause abnormal brain development in the baby and they'll perform as if their mothers were eating too little choline in the diet," said Zeisel.

The bottom line, he said, is that the animals won't be as smart.

But what could all this mouse research mean for people? Zeisel said if the DEA-hypothesis holds true, the memory impact would probably be minimal in adults.

But it could have a bigger effect on the developing brain during pregnancy and the first few years of life.

"I would never have thought that washing my hair could harm my baby - and again our research might not show that. But that's the reason we're putting the effort in to put together a team funding from NIH to try to find out for sure for people," said Zeisel.

The UNC research is using the same amounts of DEA as most of us would get if we shampooed our hair a couple of times a week.

Zeisel and his team of researchers are also testing to see if adding extra choline to the diet can make up for the brain cell deficiency caused by DEA.

Choline is a nutrient that is found in many of the foods we eat. High doses of choline are found in eggs and peanuts.

DEA stands for diethanolamine, a chemical that is used in shampoos, lotions, creams and other cosmetics. DEA is used widely because it provides a rich lather in shampoos and keeps a favorable consistency in lotions and creams.

TEA, the other ingredient being tested, is similar and stands for triethanolamine.

For more information on products that contain diethanolamine, DEA and TEA, check the National Institute's of Health household product database

The following are some of the most commonly used ingredients that may contain DEA Cocamide DEA Cocamide MEA:
B7 'b7dea-cetyl phosphate
B7 dea oleth-3 phosphate
B7 lauramide dea
B7 linoleamide mea
B7 myristamide dea
B7 oleamide dea
B7 stearamide mea
B7 tea-lauryl sulfate
B7 triethanolamine