DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a steroid hormone that your adrenal glands produce. Your body then uses it to make other hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone. DHEA levels change through life, peaking when you're in your 20s and falling after that. Synthetic DHEA is available in supplement form and taken by people as an anti-aging product.
Levels
Serum DHEA levels rise from less than 11 nanograms per milliliter at birth to highs of less than 13 ng/mL when you are between the ages of 19 and 30, dropping gradually to below 5 ng/mL when you are 61 and older. Generally speaking, after around age 24 years, levels drop by about 2 to 3 percent every year. By the time your reach age 75, your levels will be only 10 to 20 percent of what a young adult has.
How It Works
DHEA acts as the major precursor for most of the sex hormones in both females and males. The adrenal glands secrete DHEA mostly as DHEA-S, which is bound to sulfur. Both forms are transported by the protein albumin, but DHEA-S levels are over 100 times higher because it binds more tightly to albumin. Testing of DHEA or DHEA-S and other sex hormones is typically part of an assessment for problems with the adrenal glands, if they show signs of hyperactivity.
Controversy
While your can buy DHEA supplements in stores and online, whether you should take them remains a controversial subject in 2011. Lower serum DHEA levels are associated with conditions in older individuals, such as diminished cognitive function and lower immunity. Older men with lower DHEA also have a higher rate of cardiovascular disease; premenopausal women have a greater risk of breast and ovarian cancer. But whether taking DHEA supplements actually lowers the risk of developing these conditions or reversing their symptoms is unclear.
Additional Information
Studies regarding the effects of DHEA supplements have resulted in conflicting findings. For example, taking the supplements may or may not improve mineral density in the spine, mental concentration and memory in women, and mineral density in the hip bones of both men and women. Fortunately, DHEA supplementation is generally regarded as safe. Studies have shown that daily doses of 25 to 200mg taken daily for six to 12 months have few side effects beyond mild facial acne.
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