DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, the gonads and the brain. DHEA belongs to the steroids, whose pathway begins with cholesterol. DHEA is responsible for creating the estrogens and androgens, or your sex hormones, and is often associated with a healthy libido. Levels of DHEA begin to decline with age, but other factors can lower DHEA earlier in your lifetime. High DHEA can cause disruptions in body systems, resulting in symptoms
Background
DHEA is synthesized in the cortex of the adrenal glands, according to Vitamins-Supplements.org, in an area known as the zona reticularis. Cholesterol is needed to begin the steroidal hormone pathway, and through a series of biochemical reactions, pregnenolone is formed. Pregnenelone also funds the cortisol branch of this pathway. If pregnenelone levels are low, both cortisol and DHEA levels are likewise affected. Normal levels of DHEA vary with age and sex. According to MedlinePlus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health, women ages 18 to 19 can have between 145 and 395 ug/dL, while 20- to 29-year-olds can have 65 to 380 ug/dL. As a male in those age groups, you should have 18 to 441 ug/dL and 280 to 640 ug/dL, respectively.
Function
DHEA levels are associated with energy, mental acuity, cardiovascular function, increased mood and normal libido. Low levels can lead to symptoms like fatigue and disorders like depression. A study published in the "European Journal of Heart Failure" in September 2010 investigated the link between hormones and depression in elderly males with chronic heart failure. The study found that low levels of circulating testosterone and DHEA was correlated with the rate of depression in men with chronic heart failure.
Hyperprolactinemia
Hyperprolactinemia is a condition in which there is an abundance of prolactin, a hormone responsible for lactation and breast development, in the bloodstream. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, prolactin levels may be tested in cases of lactation not associated with childbirth, infertility, impotence or menstrual irregularities. Studies as far back as the 1980s have linked high DHEA with hyperprolactinemia. "Endocrinologia Japonica" featured a study in February 1981 that investigated serum DHEA-S levels and their correlation to this disorder. The results of the study found that serum DHEA levels were significantly higher in women with hyperprolactinemia than in normal women during the early follicular phase.
Acne
Acne may also be associated with high levels of DHEA. In a study outlined in "Experimental Dermatology" in July 2010, researchers led by Dr. S.Cho tested the scalp hair of patients with acne for cholesterol and DHEA measurements. The researchers found that in patients with acne, levels of DHEA were higher than controls. Incidentally, cholesterol levels were also higher in the acne patients, when compared to controls.
PCOS
Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is often associated with high levels of hormones, including DHEA. According to Endocrinology.org, PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, and it affects 5 to 15 percent of the female population. This website also states that PCOS of adrenal origin, rather than PCOS stemming from imbalances in the ovaries, is linked to high levels of serum DHEA-s, which is the sulfate form of DHEA.
Antioxidant Effects
Not all cases of higher DHEA levels are deterimental. One study in the May 1999 issue of "Food and Chemical Toxicology" found promising information about DHEA and its antioxidant effects on rats with vitamin E deficiency. Researchers at the National Chung-Hsing University in Taiwan compared rats with vitamin E deficiency to rats with normal vitamin E levels, giving both DHEA. In rats with high DHEA, the DHEA was found to compensate for the lack of vitamin E; DHEA decreased iron-induced lipid peroxidation, which causes free radical damage. In rats with normal vitamin E levels, this effect was not seen.
References
- Vitamins-Supplements.org: DHEA
- Biodia.com: Steroidal Hormone Chart
- "European Journal of Heart Failure"; Deficiencies in circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, and depression in men with systolic chronic heart failure; E.A. Jankowska et al; September 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Prolactin
- "Endocrinologia Japonica"; Elevated serum DHEA-S levels in association with hyperprolactinemia; K. Seki and K. Kato; February 1981
- "Food Chemical Toxicology"; Toxicological and antioxidant effects of short-term dehydroepiandrosterone injection in young rats fed diets deficient or adequate in vitamin E; H.P. NG et al; May 1999
