Dehydroepiandosterone, or DHEA, is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys. It is used by the body to produce sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone and is available as a dietary supplement. DHEA levels peak in your 20s, declining with age. Between ages 20 and 80 DHEA levels fall 80 percent. Low DHEA contributes to decreased muscle mass and decreased bone density. DHEA supplements are marketed for anti-aging, building muscle, balancing hormones and losing weight, making it challenging to distinguish facts from advertising hype. As with all supplements, you should check with your doctor before taking DHEA.
Use
Your body generally makes enough DHEA for its needs. In rare cases, women suffer from low DHEA due to conditions like adrenal insufficiency, where the adrenal glands do not produce enough DHEA. If this is the case, your doctor will recommend DHEA after a careful assessment. Your body balances hormones delicately; taking DHEA when your body is already making enough to meet its needs can result in hormonal imbalance.
Anti-Aging
DHEA supplements are widely sold as a "fountain of youth," with such claims that DHEA is a youth hormone with the ability to remove up to 10 years of aging. The Mayo Clinic conducted a two-year study of older men and women, restoring their DHEA levels to those observed in young people and found no beneficial effects on age-related body composition, according to a 2006 article published in EurekAlert, an online news service provided by the scientific organization AAAS.
Age-Related Muscle Loss
Proponents of DHEA claim it helps build lean muscle mass. According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, studies consistently show that DHEA supplementation does not increase muscle mass or muscle strength in young, healthy women. The CRN goes on to say that emerging studies showing that DHEA can help increase muscle mass and strength in elderly women are promising.
Weight Loss
According to the National Institutes of Health, preliminary evidence suggests DHEA helps older, overweight women lose weight, but did not show a clinical difference in the weight of younger, overweight women. NIH says more research is necessary before it makes any recommendation of the use of DHEA as a weight loss supplement.
Memopausal Treatment
For some women, menopause means more than the end of their reproductive years. It can mean the beginning of uncomfortable menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and irritability. Because DHEA is a precursor to estrogen, some people use it to try to relieve menopausal symptoms, but according to a 2006 article published in "Menopause International," results are inconsistent. Research does not support a benefit of DHEA therapy for women who are estrogen deficient due to menopause.
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