DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is an intermediate hormone in the synthesis of steroid hormones. It is produced in the adrenal gland. It is commonly referred to as the "mother of hormones" because it is used by our bodies to produce over 50 other hormones essential to good health. DHEA is the most abundant hormone in the human bloodstream and is one of the most important substances needed for many vital metabolic functions. Levels of the hormone naturally drop as people age starting after age 20, and can decrease by 50% by age 40.
Research has shown DHEA to have significant anti-obesity, antitumor, anti-aging and anti-cancer effects. Adequate levels help increase energy, control stress, maintain proper minerals levels, balance the production of sex hormones, and fight aging. It helps lean body mass while reducing fat tissue, making it ideal for weight control. Steadily declining levels coincide with the increased occurrence of many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and the ravages of older age in general.
Researchers are still trying to determine what DHEA can and cannot do. Low DHEA levels have been linked with mortality, both from heart disease and from all causes. Low levels have also been observed in some obese individuals. One of the early studies on DHEA examined its role in combating heart disease. The New England Journal of Medicine reported, "In a study of 242 men over age 30, researcher Elizabeth Barret-Conner at the University of California at San Diego found that those with high levels of DHEA in their blood were only half as likely to die of heart disease as those with relatively little of the hormone. Even in people without heart disease, DHEA seems to protect against early death."
It is being examined as a treatment for improving the quality of life for those with HIV. Low blood levels of DHEA are associated with fatigue, depression, weight loss, and chronically not feeling well, all problems that often plague HIV patients. Optimal levels of the hormone can treat these symptoms. These are the same symptoms for which older people have received DHEA supplements in tests, and they too report feeling better when DHEA levels are raised.
Dr. William Regelson, an expert on DHEA, has stated, "It is a broad-acting hormone. It is like a buffer against sudden changes. . . .That is why when you get older, you're much more vulnerable to the effects of stress." In test-tube and animal studies, researchers have found that DHEA strengthens the immune system, and reduces stress, by holding stress hormones in check. They also found it helps control obesity by inhibiting fat formation, forestalls diabetes by normalizing the production of insulin, enhances learning and memory by stimulating brain-cell development.
Breast-cancer prone mice treated with DHEA developed no tumors, whereas untreated ones were "getting cancer left and right." Regelson noted, "Whenever [DHEA] has been tested in a model of carcinogenesis and tumor induction, DHEA has preventative effects." Tests on human cancer have only recently begun.
Pure DHEA taken orally is mainly converted to testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Both are male hormones and may produce unwanted adrogenic effects, such as facial hair and acne in women. Men at their peak produce about 26 mg of DHEA daily, and a woman only around 16 mg. Men have higher levels because DHEA fuels the production of sex hormones, particularly testosterone, of which males have more.
Many companies are selling DHEA "precursors" or "substitutes." These products usually contain wild yam or other herbal supplements which might help stimulate DHEA production. Ordinarily precursors or substitutes contain no DHEA. Dioscorea (the generic name of the Mexican wild yam) is a natural precursor of DHEA. It contains precursor steroids that our body might convert to DHEA, but there is no guarantee that it will act on the substance and do just that. Some researchers argue against the use of DHEA precursors.
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