Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, gonads and brain. It is a precursor of other steroid hormones including estrogens and testosterone. Many studies have been conducted to determine whether DHEA supplements increase muscle mass and strength. The majority of them report negative results in healthy young men and women. A few studies have shown more favorable results of DHEA replacement therapy in elderly men and women who were also involved in exercise programs.
Effects on Younger Persons
There is little consistent scientific evidence that DHEA even at very high doses increases muscle mass and strength in younger individuals.
A study in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" reports DHEA administered daily at a dose of 150 mg had no effect above placebo on lean muscle mass, strength or testosterone levels in young men involved in resistance training.
An earlier study conducted in 1988 published in "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" found that DHEA at doses of 1,600 mg per day did reduce total fat mass and increase muscle mass in five men.
Additionally, a study in a 1990 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" failed to replicate the results of the earlier study.
Effects on Older Persons
A 2006 study in the "American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism" notes that DHEA serum levels decline nearly 80 percent between the ages of 25 and 75. Results from a large 2003 study in the journal "Archives of Internal Medicine" suggest that DHEA replacement therapy does not increase muscle mass or strength in healthy men and women between the ages of 60 and 80. The study in the "American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism" found that 50 mg per day of DHEA augmented increases in muscle mass and strength in elderly men and women who were in weight lifting programs. Although still controversial the scientific evidence suggests DHEA supplementation only benefits elderly people, who are also actively involved in resistance training.
People Taking Glucocorticoids
Long-term use of glucocorticoids --- drugs commonly used to treat immune system disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis --- can cause muscle wasting in addition to several other side effects. A 1999 review in the journal, "Rheumatology" suggests there is some evidence, mostly in animal studies, that DHEA supplementation may prevent the adverse actions of glucocorticoids on muscles and bones. As of November 2010, no human clinical trials have evaluated the effectiveness of administering DHEA in preventing muscle wasting.
References
- "American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism"; DHEA Enhances Effects of Weight Training on Muscle Mass and Strength in Elderly Women and Men; Dennis T. Villareal and John O. Holloszy; May 2006
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Effect of Oral DHEA on Serum Testosterone and Adaptations to Resistance Training in Young Men; Gregory A. Brown et al.; December 1999
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Effect of 1-Year Oral Administration of Dehydroepiandrosterone to 60- to 80-Year-Old Individuals on Muscle Function and Cross-sectional Area: A Double-blind Placebo-Controlled Trial; Gaëlle Percheron et al.; March 2003
- "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Dehydroepiandrosterone Reduces Serum Low Density Lipoprotein Levels and Body Fat but Does not Alter Insulin Sensitivity in Normal Men; John Nestler et al.; 1988
- "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Failure of Dehydroepiandrosterone to Influence Energy and Protein Metabolism in Humans; S. Welle et al.; November 1990
- "Rheumatology"; Should Dehydroepiandrosterone Replacement Therapy be Provided with Glucocorticoids?; B. Robinzon and M. Cutolo; 1999
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