A Little History
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 salable 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.
What Is It and How Does It Work
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.
The Research Continues
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-aging supplement.
Mood and Sex
Research done in 2005 on both men and women with minor and major depression showed dramatic improvement. The dosages, however, were considerable, and I would hesitate to suggest them without supervision. The subjects received 90mg of DHEA a day for three weeks, and then 450mg a day for an additional three weeks. Improvement on a standard depression rating scale showed that half the participants improved by at least 50%. There was also significant improvement in the area of sexual function. The two areas were tested together as sexual function is known to be closely related to emotional health.
In another study of women with Lupus Erythematosus, daily doses of DHEA as low as 20 – 30mg improved health related quality of life and sexual interest and activity compared to placebo.
Cardiovascular Health
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.
Blood Flow & Blood Vessel Health
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.
Osteoporosis
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.
Metabolic Syndrome
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.
Contraindications
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.
Available Testing
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.
My Recommendation
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.
Price/Bargain
For such a well researched supplement, Preventics DHEA Natural is truly affordable. Preventics DHEA Natural provides 50mg per tablet, 90 tablets to the bottle, for half the suggested retail price. If you break the scored tablet and take only 25mg a day (the most common daily dosage for males), the bottle lasts six months. If you break the scored 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.
