DHEA, (dehydroeptandrosterone) may well be the most researched anti-aging
supplement available without a prescription. The pharmaceutical
industry has tried on numerous occasions to get this product off
the market, but health freedom activists have persevered and the
product is still available. Nevertheless, the battle continues.
The pharmaceutical industry doesn't want a simple, safe, and effective
product on the market that can improve health significantly enough
to cause people to discontinue their medications, unless it is patentable
and saleable at exorbitant prices.
Many health activist organizations think this supplement
is the best natural anti-aging supplement to come down the pike
since Vitamin C, and are willing to continue the fight for unfettered
access (access without prescription). The problem with DHEA is that
it is a pro-hormone, or a "mother" hormone. In youth,
the body makes sufficient DHEA, but as age progresses, as with all
things, less and less is made. Decline in DHEA coincides perfectly
with the onset of the diseases of old age. Because DHEA is the progenitor
of the "get up and go" steroid hormones, the pharmaceutical
industry wants to label it as a drug, making it a "by prescription
only" item, thereby legislating it off the free market.
As I have said, DHEA is a pro-hormone. It is the most abundant steroid
in the body, is produced by the endocrine glands, and is not technically
a hormone, but a hormone precursor. It is usually found as DHEAS
(dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate), an inactive form. DHEAS is made
in the liver, adrenals, and small intestine. It remains as DHEAS
until it reaches its target tissues. The blood test for DHEA levels
tests for DHEAS. The decline in DHEA is more pronounced in men than
in women, and is related to the drop in sexual performance with
age. DHEA is the progenitor of the sex hormones, testosterone and
estrogen.
Of course, the infighting hasn't stopped the research, and the more
that is published, the better DHEA looks as a prime fighter of the
aging process. Let me bring you up to date on some of the newest
research, and add to some of the older research that solidifies
DHEA's position as a super anti-ager.
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Results of the Massachusetts Male Aging study demonstrated that
higher DHEAS levels correlated well with a lower incidence of
heart disease.
In a subset of men from the Baltimore Longitudinal
Study of Aging it was found that DHEAS was associated with less
stiffness of the arteries, and a resulting lowered risk of cardiovascular
events. Numerous animal studies have confirmed the findings
of the above mentioned studies.
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New evidence points to DHEA as a protector
against coronary artery disease. In one study, older men ingested
50mg of DHEA at bedtime for two months, at which time the researchers
checked for increased blood flow and arterial dilation. The
resulting conclusion was that DHEA supplementation may prevent
atherosclerotic changes caused by falling levels of vessel-dilating
biochemicals.
A 2003 study using DHEA at 25mg a day showed
improved endothelial function (the soft lining of the arteries),
by way of numerous factors that slow the development of age
related disorders.
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Unfortunately, the primary drug for osteoporosis, Fosamax, is
now known to cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, or irreversible
bone rot. DHEA may help slow bone loss and therefore delay or
eliminate the need for drugs. Older studies of both men and
women have shown the low levels of DHEA are associated through
mechanisms related to altered mineral absorption and metabolism,
as well as through inflammatory processes. This information
has been available for over a decade.
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As a patient, you may be tired of hearing me talk about Metabolic
Syndrome, Syndrome X, or Insulin Resistance and the associated
belly fat, but this is a major precursor to most life threatening
illnesses that plague the industrialized world. Advancing age
definitely plays a role in this syndrome, and it is strongly
associated with declining levels of DHEA and type II Diabetes.
In a 2006 study, DHEA supplementation increased
the number and size of insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas
in test animals. The study authors concluded that DHEA may be
a promising agent in preventing diabetes during aging.
Two additional trials lend support to this
idea. In 2005, the effects of 50mg of DHEA replacement therapy
on insulin sensitivity in women with known adrenal insufficiency
were published. After twelve weeks, marked improvement in insulin
sensitivity was demonstrated along with lowered cholesterol
and LDL levels. These authors concluded that DHEA supplementation
increases insulin sensitivity and may prevent type II Diabetes.
Some research, and common sense, suggests that age related drops
in DHEA levels are associated with an increase cancer risk. Nevertheless,
people with hormone dependent cancers such as breast, uterine, and
prostate should avoid its use until further studies have confirmed
its safety.
The cost of the standard serum test for DHEAS is presently $149.00.
Periodic testing is strongly recommended to maintain DHEAS levels
in an optimum zone.
I have noticed that most people do nicely on one half to one quarter
of a Preventics DHEA 50 per day once maintenance is reached. My
experience is that once a person/patient has achieved a DHEAS level
in the upper third of the labs reference range, intake can usually
be reduced. Most patients/people can maintain a serum DHEAS level
in the upper third of the reference range by breaking the scoured
tablet in half, or cutting the 1/2 tablet in half again with a scissors.
A lot of male patients need 25mg a day to maintain serum levels
at optimum; however, many female patients easily maintain optimum
serum levels with only 1/4 of a tablet a day. Assessing your specific
needs through laboratory testing is the smart approach to this supplement,
and once your needs have been determined, annual re-evaluation is
recommended to maintain optimum levels.
For such a well researched supplement, Preventics
DHEA 50 is truly affordable. Preventics DHEA 50 provides 50mg
per tablet, 90 tablets to the bottle, for only $22.50, which is
half the retail cost. If you break the scoured tablet and take only
25mg a day (the most common daily dosage for males), the bottle
lasts six months. If you break the scoured 1/2 tablet in half again
with a scissors for a dose of approximately 12mg a day (the most
common daily dosage for females), the bottle will last a year.
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