Dehydroepiandrosterone: the hormone that does everything?


Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone produced in the adrenal gland and is the most abundant steroid hormone in the organism. Its levels decrease over the years, and this decrease is related to the onset of diseases associated with aging.

The positive effects of its supplementation usually require some time. Its effects on mood appear after just a few weeks of use. Bone density biomarkers improve continuously until stabilizing at 6 months, and changes in body composition are observed after about 6 months of supplementation with this wonderful molecule. The hormone that does it all? Evidence seems to show that it has earned that title.

Dr. Alfonso Galán González – Neolife Medical Team


Its levels decrease over the years, and this decrease is related to the onset of diseases associated with aging.

Dehydroepiandrosterone is a hormone produced in the adrenal gland and is the most abundant steroid hormone in the organism. It is capable of becoming and being a precursor of other steroid hormones, but now we know that it exerts many beneficial effects by itself, and there are specific receptors for it.

Its levels decrease over the years, and this decrease is related to the onset of diseases associated with aging.

adrenal gland

This hormone is considered a nutritional supplement in the U.S. and can be purchased without a prescription pretty affordably. That is why the industry has never shown interest in financing clinical trials that finally prove its efficacy and demonstrate a causal relationship between its contribution and the improvement of a series of diseases or processes.

Despite this there is very important evidence about its benefits, and we have dedicated this newsletter to showing this evidence.

DHEA and cardiovascular disease.

DHEA can improve all manifestations of metabolic syndrome, including abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance and thrombophilia.

Epidemiological studies reveal a negative relationship between DHEA levels and the incidence of coronary artery disease. Non-obese men with coronary atherosclerosis had lower levels of DHEA, higher insulin and elevated prothrombotic markers (fibrinogen, tPA, PAI…), linking the severity of the disease to DHEA levels (1). In the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, men in the lower quartile of DHEA levels had the highest incidence of ischemic heart disease, the risk difference between quartiles being almost 50% (2).

The following results have been found in interventionist studies:

  • Healthy men who received 50 mg/8h of DHEA for 12 days lowered their prothrombotic marker serum markers and blood pressure.
  • In a Japanese study in which 50 mg of DHEA were given per day corroborated these results, which also showed an improvement of the lipid profile, glycemia and insulin levels.
  • Non-obese men who received 100 mg per day of DHEA for 6 months lowered their fat mass by 6.1% and improved strength and growth hormone levels.

These results have been corroborated in many other interventionist studies.

DHEA for bones and joints.

In healthy older men (average age of 72 years old) with low levels of DHEA to start, supplementation with DHEA increased the bone mineral density significantly. Similar results have been seen in men with osteoporosis (3).

Several studies also show an effect on joint pain.

DHEA and the Central nervous system.

DHEA is synthesized in the brain independently of its secretion by the adrenal gland with levels in the central nervous system 6-8 times higher than those present in blood.

There is lots of evidence supporting its supplementation in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. It plays a modulatory role in the response to stress, memory and sleep control (4). Patients with Alzheimer’s disease have DHEA levels that are significantly lower than individuals with the same characteristics but that don’t suffer from the disease.

In several studies, scores in depression, anxiety, and mood scales have shown improvement with DHEA supplementation. We should also mention the observed improvement of mood in patients with HIV and high daily doses of DHEA.

DHEA and immune function.

Clinical and laboratory studies indicate that DHEA has a significant impact on immune function, increases IGF-1, the number of monocytes, NK cells and B cells and activates the function of T cells.

It has shown to be beneficial in the management of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In addition, with these chronic inflammatory diseases that require long-term corticoids, blocking of DHEA synthesis occurs, and supplementing it seems fundamental (5).

A separate chapter would merit its proven use in systemic lupus erythematosus, a potentially fatal autoimmune disease, in which daily treatment of 200 mg of DHEA is considered to be well established (6).

DHEA and sexual function.

The aforementioned Massachusetts Male Aging Study studied the correlation of 17 hormones and erectile dysfunction and found that only DHEA had a negative relationship (that is, greater dysfunction at lower levels). This led researchers to study its effect on this pathology in detail. Reiter showed that after 16 weeks of beginning treatment there was improvement in this dysfunction, as well as satisfaction during coitus, sexual desire and orgasmic function (7).

The positive effects of its supplementation usually require some time. For example, the effects on mood appear after just a few weeks of use, while the biomarkers of bone density improve continuously until leveling off at 6 months. The aforementioned changes in body composition are observed after about 6 months of supplementation with this wonderful molecule. The hormone that does it all? Evidence seems to show that it has earned that title.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) Adamkiewicz M, Zgliczyn ́ ski S, Słowin ́ ska-Srzednicka J, Jeske W, Rabijewski M, Pietrzyk E, et al. The relationship between plasma androgens (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and testosterone), insulin, coagulation and fibrinolytic factors in men with coronary arterio- sclerosis. Aging Male 1998;1:270–9.

(2) Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. J Urol 1994;151:54–61.

(3) Villareal DT, Holloszy JO, Kohrt WM. Effects of DHEA replacement on bone mineral density and body composition in elderly women and men. Clin Endocrinol 2000;53:561–8.

(4) Morales AJ, Nolan JJ, Nelson JC, Yen SSC. Effects of replacement dose of dehydroepiandrosterone in men and women of advancing age. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994;78:1360–7.

(5) Maggio M, Ceda GP, Denti L, Rebecchi I, Manganelli P, Ablondi F, et al. Decreased DHEAS secretion in patients with chronic inflam- matory diseases treated with glucocorticoids. J Endocrinol Invest 2002;25(Suppl 10):87–8.

(6) van Vollenhoven R, Engleman EG, McGuire JL. An open study of dehydroepiandrosterone in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis & Rheumatism 1994;37:1305–10.

(7) Reiter WJ, Pycha A, Schatzl G, Pokorny A, Gruber DM, Huber JC, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Urology 1999;53:590–4.