A fountain of youth:DHEA

Is DHEA the mythical fountain of youth long sought after by Spanish explorers?

Researchers now believe that a natural hormone produced by the body's own adrenal glands, going by the cumbersome name dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA for short, is a more promising aging antidote. Although DHEA's popularity is just recently starting to grow, this hormone was first discovered over 60 years ago - in 1934. DHEA is called the "mother hormone" because it acts as a precursor to other hormones that are in the body, such as testosterone and estrogen. Levels of DHEA in the body do change throughout life. They are highest during our 20s and 30s, after which the body's production winds down by about 10 percent each year. In fact, by the age of 60, DHEA is down to only 5-15 percent of its peak level. In addition, DHEA levels are lower in unhealthy aging individuals, compared to their more healthy counterparts.

Could it be that falling levels of DHEA signal the body's biological clock to wind down?

And, more importantly, can supplementing with DHEA keep the clock ticking and extend life?

These questions have intrigued researchers around the world. A flurry of DHEA research culminated last year when the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences sponsored an international conference June 17-19, 1995, which focused on the role of DHEA in aging.

At this conference, researchers suggested that maintaining levels of DHEA may correlate with a healthier aging process and increased longevity. In research presented at this conference, Dr. Samuel Yen, an endocrinologist from the University of California Scliool of Medicine in La Jolla, explained that results from several clinical studies he has conducted on DHEA indicate that "aging in men is associated with reduced protein synthesis, decreased lean body mass and bone mass, and increased body fat. These body composition changes are accompanied by a progressive decline in adrenal secretion of (DHEA)...." According to research from another of Yen's studies, this one involving eight men and eight women 50-65 years old, taking 100 mg of DHEA or a placebo over the course of a year, DHEA may help prevent age-related declines in lean body mass, muscle strength, immune function, and other signs of advancing years.

Perhaps Yen's most promising indication that DHEA is an anti-aging formula comes from his double-blind, crossover study of 13 men and 17 women (age 40-70) supplementing with a nightly dose of 50 mg of DHEA or a placebo during the six-month study. Yen found that levels of DHEA were "restored to those found in young adults within two weeks of DHEA replacement and were sustained throughout the three months..." of the active treatment.

When the subjects in this study were taking the inactive placebo, only 10 percent reported an improved sense of well-being. However, 82 percent of the women and 67 percent of the men attested to enhanced feelings of well-being while on the DHEA supplements. Improved well-being was described by the study participants as better sleep quality, feeling more relaxed, increased energy, and an improved ability to handle stress.

Older men and women appear to have the most to gain from supplementing with DHEA; however, DHEA supplements should not be used indiscriminately. Women, in particular, should be cautious. Some preliminary data suggest that women on higher doses of DHEA could develop side effects. Consequently, women should limit themselves to no more than 50 mg of DHEA daily. While the research jury is still out regarding DHEA and aging, it would seem - regardless of whether DHEA lengthens the life span - that it does improve the quality of life and may postpone some of the signs of aging. And that in itself may qualify DHEA as a "fountain of youth in a bottle."

REFERENCE

Bellino, F.L., Daynes, R.A., Hornsby, P.J., et al., eds.

"Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and aging," Annals of the New York

Academy of Sciences 774:1-350, December 29, 1995.