Benefits of DHEA
DHEA - What it can do for you!
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is produced and secreted from the adrenal cortex. DHEA reaches its maximum level by the age of 25, and then it declines gradually to 15% of peak production by age 75 and beyond. DHEA is the most abundant androgen in circulation. In normal young adults, DHEA levels are 10 times those of cortisol. This hormone has been know since 1934, and thousands of articles have been published about it since then.
After DHEA is synthesized by the adrenal glands, it enters the bloodstream. It then travels to the liver, to be converted to DHEAS by adding a sulfate (SO4) molecule. DHEA is produced mostly during the morning hours. Then its level decline rapidly during the day, because it's quickly cleared by the kidneys. The half-life of DHEA is about 30 minutes. But, DHEAS is cleared much more slowly, and blood levels of DHEAS remain more stable throughout the day. The half-life of DHEAS is approximately 20 hours. About 95% of this steroid in the blood, is found in its DHEAS form; the rest circulates as DHEA. This is why, when we need to know how much DHEA is available, we measure DHEAS levels.
Although the production of most steroids is controlled by a feed back loop, which means: that when hormone levels get too high, the body is told to make less; and when hormone levels are too low, the body is told to make more. Cortisol, testosterone, and estrogen are all regulated by this feed back. DHEA is not affected by the feed back loop.
DHEA sold by vitamin and pharmaceutical companies is made from wild yams. A sterol found in the wild yam called diosgenin is made into DHEA by a simple process. Some companies sell wild yam as a source of DHEA But, according to Dr. Seymour Lieberman, from St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, who has studied DHEA for over 55 years, it is highly unlikely, perhaps impossible, that the ingestion of extracts of wild yam plants will lead to the formation of DHEA by metabolic means.
DHEAS role in human metabolic activity, appear to be as an intermediate in the pathways for the synthesis of testosterone, estrogen, and estradiol. DHEA affects lipogenesis, peroxisome proliferation, mitochondrial respiration, protein synthesis, and thyroid hormone function. DHEA levels show a circadian variation similar to that of cortisol. DHEAS levels show a less clear circadian variation probably due to its slower clearance. However, seasonal variations have been recorded. DHEAS levels appear to be higher during the autumn-winter than in the spring .
How can supplementing with DHEA help with various health problems? A number of studies have reported the benefits from supplementing with DHEA.
In one study, reported in the Arthritis Rheum, ten female patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus, (SLE), were given 200 mg/day for 6 months. The study concluded, that DHEA showed promise in the treatment of SLE. In most cases, the corticosteroid requirement was either reduced, or eliminated.
DHEA provided protection in rats subjected to acute sound stress, by inhibiting tryptophan hydroxylase enzyme activity. This may be of use in some patients with panic or sleep disorders.
In another study, DHEA supplementation was shown to have an anti-obesity effect. An oral administration of 1600 mg/day in equal doses, resulted in a 31% decrease in body fat. Oral administration of DHEA to males also resulted in lower cholesterol and (LDL-C) levels, without changes to either lipid parameters or glucose profiles.
The level of plasma DHEAS is significant, because it can used as an assessment of adrenal androgen production. Decreased levels of DHEAS has been noted in adrenal dysfunction, hypothyroidism, cardiovascular disease, menstrual irregularities, osteoporosis, and immunocompromised patients. These conditions have been found to improve with DHEA supplementation.
The supplementation of DHEA has been reported to enhance the T-lymphocyte binding in postmenopausal women. This study was conducted with 11 postmenopausal woman in a placebo-controlled crossover trial. Serum DHEA, DHEAS, T- lymphotyce and cortisol levels were measured, as were fasting lipoproteins, and T-lymphocyte insulin binding capacity. The researchers reported, that serum DHEAS and T-lymphocyte increase two fold. Fasting triglycerides declined by 25%. The study concluded that 50 mg/day of oral DHEA enhanced adrogen levels, improved insulin sensitivity and lowered triglycerides. People who are insulin resistant may benefit from supplementation with DHEA. This study was published in Fertil Steril in 1995.
The J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994. studied the hypothesis, that the decline in DHEA may contibute to the shift from anabolism to catabolism associated with aging. The researchers studied 13 men and 17 women, 40-70 years of age. Each subject was given a nightly 50 mg dose of DHEA for 6 months. Concentrations of androgens, lipids, apolipoprotiens, insulin sensitivity, percentage of body fat, and libido were measured. The study concluded, that 67% of the men and 84% of the women reported a remarkable increase in perceived physical and psychological well-being. By restoring DHEA and DHEAS levels of these subjects, to young adult levels, the subjects noticed an increase in energy, libido, lowered body fat, and a feeling of well-being.
In another study, 500 mg of DHEA was given to healthy young men. This resulted in in increase in the REM sleep period. This suggested, that DHEA may have a role in improving sleep disorders.
All of these reported studies indicate the multi-effectiveness of DHEA supplementation. And none of the studies indicated any adverse effects of DHEA supplementation.
Posted
by Dr. Steven Felder
