Dehydroepiandrosterone, also known as DHEA, is a steroid hormone naturally produced in the body. It is released from the adrenal glands and has been associated with a wide range of health benefits, from inducing fat loss to combating depression. Consult your health care provider before taking any supplements.
Boosts Fat Loss
DHEA might help induce weight loss in the elderly, according to researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine. Elderly subjects with decreasing DHEA levels were randomly assigned a DHEA supplement or placebo for six months. They were also measured for visceral fat, or fat that surrounds the organs, and subcutaneous fat, or fat underneath the skin. At the end of the study, which was reported in the November 2004 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," scientists observed that the DHEA group experienced decreases in both visceral and subcutaneous fat.
Prevents Age-Related Heart Disease
Researchers from the Kumamoto University School of Medicine in Japan studied the effects on DHEA on blood vessel function and insulin sensitivity in middle age men. Subjects with high cholesterol were assigned to receive DHEA or a placebo for four weeks. At the end of the study, which was published in the July 2003 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism," scientists discovered that participants taking DHEA supplements experienced improvements in blood vessel function and insulin sensitivity, both of which could help prevent age-related heart disease.
Combats Depression
DHEA might help combat depression, according to lead researcher Peter Schmidt, M.D., and colleagues from the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. Subjects with midlife onset major or minor depression received DHEA or a placebo for six weeks. Scientists found that the DHEA group experienced improvements in measures of depression compared to those who were administered a placebo, the February 2005 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" reports.
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