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DHEA - Vitamins and Supplements
What Is DHEA?
DHEA / Dehydroepiandrosterone is the precursor hormone responsible for the production and regulation of every other steroid and sex hormone. While supplementing DHEA will not reverse aging (nothing will), it does seem to alleviate some of the serious problems associated with aging.
Who Should Consider DHEA?
DHEA / Dehydroepiandrosterone is the sole precursor hormone responsible for the production and regulation of every other steroid and sex hormone in the body. It has recently been discovered that bodily levels of DHEA decline with age (a typical 70-year old will have about 5-10% the DHEA of what a typical 20 year old produces), leading to the (logically incorrect, but possible) hypothesis that supplementing DHEA will reverse or halt the aging process. This is probably just another round of humankind's hope for the discovery of the Fountain of Youth, but there are some valuable elements to DHEA supplementation that are worth investigating. For example, declining levels of DHEA are at times observed in
Alzheimer's disease1
diabetes2
arthritis3
obesity4
cancer2
atherosclerosis and heart disease5
lupus6
and DHEA has been shown to increase sexual arousal in postmenopausal women and to be a receptor (a structure on the surface of a cell (or inside a cell) that selectively receives and binds a specific substance) for androgenic hormones (produced by men in the testes and adrenal gland and women in the adrenal glands) which can lead to building bone mass and muscle mass.1,7,8 While supplementing DHEA will not reverse aging, it does seem to alleviate some of the problems associated with aging.
"DHEA" is short for dehydroepiandrosterone, a hormone naturally produced in the human body in the adrenal gland.
DHEA: Triple-action weight loss
It seems incontrovertible that DHEA assists in weight loss; it is a thermogenic substance--meaning it will cause a person to burn fat for energy rather than store it. In addition to being thermogenic, DHEA also blocks an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) which is needed to produce fat tissue (and, not incidentally, cancer cells). DHEA also stimulates levels of cholecystokinin, a hormone in your body that functions to tell you that you are full and it's time to quit eating.9,10,11
How should DHEA be used?
If you are under 40 years of age, don't--you've already got plenty of DHEA coursing through your veins. If you are above 40, start small (5-15mg of DHEA per day) and have your saliva tested in order to regulate your DHEA levels. 25-50mg of DHEA per day will raise a 70 year-old's DHEA levels to that of a twenty year old and should increase both sense of vitality and well-being and libido. Women should not take DHEA just prior to menopause because their levels typically increase right around that time anyway; further increases could cause accelerated growth of facial hair, acne, and possibly a few other undesirable effects. Women who are past menopause and wish to take DHEA should take 25mg/day. For women and men over age 50 who wish to improve mental clarity and function 25-50mg/day seems sufficient. Do not take more than 50mg of DHEA per day.10
According to the 2006 edition of the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, "there is concern that long term use or use of amounts that cause higher than normal physiological DHEA levels might increase the risk of prostate cancer, breast cancer or other hormone sensitive cancers."
Side Effects
There are many considerations to be made when taking DHEA, or any hormone, some of which extend well beyond the realm of "side effects", and they are not to be taken lightly. There are no studies that have investigated long term DHEA supplementation, because it is just too new a substance. If you choose to use DHEA, use it in small doses (50mg of DHEA or less) -- and by all means, do so under the supervision of a qualified medical professional!
Label Facts
DHEA, 25mg, 60 capsules:
Supplement Facts Serving Size: 1 Capsule Servings per container: 60
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
25 mg
†
† Daily value not established.
Other ingredients: Cellulose (plant fiber).
DHEA, 25mg, 90 capsules:
Supplement Facts Serving Size: 1 Capsule Servings per container: 90
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
25 mg
†
† Daily value not established.
Other ingredients: Cellulose (plant fiber).
References
DHEA References & Additional Information
Knopman, D. and V. W. Henderson (2003). "DHEA for Alzheimer's disease: a modest showing by a superhormone." Neurology 60(7): 1060-1.
Aoki, K., A. Nakajima, et al. (2003). "Prevention of diabetes, hepatic injury, and colon cancer with dehydroepiandrosterone." J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 85(2-5): 469-72.
Straub, R. H., J. Scholmerich, et al. (2000). "Replacement therapy with DHEA plus corticosteroids in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases--substitutes of adrenal and sex hormones." Z Rheumatol 59 Suppl 2: II/108-18.
Al-Harithy, R. N. (2003). "Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in women. Relationships with body mass index, insulin and glucose levels." Saudi Med J 24(8): 837-41.
Porsova-Dutoit, I., J. Sulcova, et al. (2000). "Do DHEA/DHEAS play a protective role in coronary heart disease?" Physiol Res 49 Suppl 1: S43-56.
Chang, D. M., J. L. Lan, et al. (2002). "Dehydroepiandrosterone treatment of women with mild-to-moderate systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial." Arthritis Rheum 46(11): 2924-7.
Notelovitz, M. (2002). "Androgen effects on bone and muscle." Fertil Steril 77 Suppl 4: S34-41.
Hackbert, L. and J. R. Heiman (2002). "Acute dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) effects on sexual arousal in postmenopausal women." J Womens Health Gend Based Med 11(2): 155-62.
Lardy, H., N. Kneer, et al. (1995). "Induction of thermogenic enzymes by DHEA and its metabolites." Ann N Y Acad Sci 774: 171-9.
Pizzorno, Joseph, ND; Murray , Michael T, Eds. Textbook of Natural Medicine, second ed. Churchill Livingstone, 1999
Yoshida, S., A. Honda, et al. (2003). "Anti-proliferative action ofendogenous dehydroepiandrosterone metabolites on human cancer cell lines." Steroids 68(1): 73-83.
DHEA Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials
Arlt, W., F. Callies, J. C. van Vlijmen, I. Koehler, M. Reincke, M. Bidlingmaier, D. Huebler, M. Oettel, M. Ernst, H. M. Schulte and B. Allolio (1999). "Dehydroepiandrosterone replacement in women with adrenal insufficiency." N Engl J Med 341(14): 1013-20.
Bloch, M., P. J. Schmidt, M. A. Danaceau, L. F. Adams and D. R. Rubinow (1999). "Dehydroepiandrosterone treatment of midlife dysthymia." Biol Psychiatry 45(12): 1533-41.
Davidson, M., A. Marwah, R. J. Sawchuk, K. Maki, P. Marwah, C. Weeks and H. Lardy (2000). "Safety and pharmacokinetic study with escalating doses of 3-acetyl-7- oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone in healthy male volunteers." Clin Invest Med 23(5): 300-10.
Hackbert, L. and J. R. Heiman (2002). "Acute Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Effects on Sexual Arousal in Postmenopausal Women." J Womens Health Gend Based Med 11(2): 155-62.
Legrain, S., C. Massien, N. Lahlou, M. Roger, B. Debuire, B. Diquet, G. Chatellier, M. Azizi, V. Faucounau, H. Porchet, F. Forette and E. E. Baulieu (2000). "Dehydroepiandrosterone replacement administration: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in healthy elderly subjects." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85(9): 3208-17.
Piketty, C., D. Jayle, A. Leplege, P. Castiel, E. Ecosse, G. Gonzalez-Canali, B. Sabatier, N. Boulle, B. Debuire, Y. Le Bouc, E. E. Baulieu and M. D. Kazatchkine (2001). "Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral dehydroepiandrosterone in patients with advanced HIV disease." Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 55(3): 325-30.
Reiter, W. J., A. Pycha, G. Schatzl, A. Pokorny, D. M. Gruber, J. C. Huber and M. Marberger (1999). "Dehydroepiandrosterone in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study." Urology 53(3): 590-4; discussion 594-5.
Wolkowitz, O. M., V. I. Reus, A. Keebler, N. Nelson, M. Friedland, L. Brizendine and E. Roberts (1999). "Double-blind treatment of major depression with dehydroepiandrosterone." Am J Psychiatry 156(4): 646-9.
This website and these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult a properly trained medical practitioner for medical advice.
