Dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA, serves as a building block for several hormones in the human body. This steroid, for example, breaks down into testosterone and estrogen. DHEA levels decrease with aging, creating a deficiency syndrome. Hormonal deficiencies may cause disease and injury. Chemists can manufacture DHEA in the laboratory, allowing patients to buy it over the counter. DHEA provides many benefits, but taking it also causes health risks. Consult a doctor before using this supplement.
Decreases Body Fat
The obesity epidemic costs the U.S. health care system $150 billion annually, according to Clinical Endocrinology. Surgical interventions and prescription medications can help people lose weight, but these methods often cause side effects. Nutritional supplements may provide a better option. A 1998 report in Clinical Endocrinology looked at the impact of DHEA on body composition. Healthy men and women received either the supplement or a placebo for six months and then crossed over into the opposite condition. Results showed that DHEA intake reduced body fat in the men, but it had the opposite effect in women. More studies are needed to understand these gender differences.
Increases Muscle Strength
Muscle wasting, weight gain and bone breaks remain common in older adults. Exercising and dieting can prevent these unwanted effects, but such protocols have low compliance. Simpler interventions such as supplement use can quickly increase strength. A 2010 study described in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society evaluated the effect of DHEA on physical strength. Frail women received daily doses of the supplement or a placebo for six months. They also started exercising twice a week. Relative to controls, females given DHEA became stronger in their lower body. However, these data may result from the supplement-exercise combination and not DHEA alone.
Enhances Memory
Memory difficulties become especially apparent with aging, and cases of age-related dementia continue to increase, says the journal Steroids. Circulating levels of DHEA decrease with age, and reversing these declines with hormones may improve memory. A 2009 article in Steroids tested the impact of DHEA on cognitive performance in an animal model. Rodents received a single dose of either DHEA or saline. They then executed short-term and long-term memory tasks. Mice given the supplement showed enhanced long-term memories, especially in tests with an emotional component. Short-term memory was unaffected. It also remains unknown whether human tests would reveal similar findings.
Treats Schizophrenia
Doctors have made considerable progress in treating schizophrenia. Such treatment typically involves the use of antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine. While effective, these drugs often cause contractions, twitches and tremors. A 2010 paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry assessed the ability of DHEA to reduce these unwanted reactions. Schizophrenics received either the supplement or an inert treatment for eight weeks. Patients given DHEA had less body movements than those given placebo. No adverse events were reported. Pregnenolone, another steroid, showed larger effects. Scientists must conduct more tests to determine whether DHEA remains the best option for treating the drug-induced side effects commonly found in schizophrenia.
References
- Clinical Endocrinology: Effect of Six Months Treatment With a 100 mg Daily Dose of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on Circulating Sex Steroids, Body Composition and Muscle Strength in Age-Advanced Men and Women; A. J. Morales, et al., October 1998
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: Dehydroepiandrosterone Combined with Exercise Improves Muscle Strength and Physical Function in Frail Older Women; Anne M. Kenny, et al.; September 2010
- Steroids: Effects of DHEA, 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androstane-6,17-dione, and 7-amino-DHEA Analogues on Short Term and Long Term Memory in the Mouse; Marc-Antoine Bazin, et al.; November 2009
- Journal of Clinical Psychiatry: Pregnenolone and Dehydroepiandrosterone as an Adjunctive Treatment in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder; Michael S. Ritsner, et al.; October 2010
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