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Posts Tagged ‘DHEA’

DHEA, a steroid hormone with the intimidating scientific name dehydroepiandrosterone, is among the more controversial anti-aging therapies. Though many consider it to be the “anti-aging hormone”, there are few large-scale tests on humans showing that it’s actually effective.

A natural substance produced by the adrenal glands, it is used by the body to produce sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. The body’s production of it peaks in early adulthood – typically in the twenties – and declines as we age.

The decline in production correlates with a number of age-related changes, including loss of muscle mass and strength, reduced endurance, and lower glucose tolerance. In addition, low levels of this substance have been observed in patients with a variety of diseases, ranging from diabetes and kidney disease to heart disease, some types of cancer, osteoporosis, and even AIDS.

Many small studies have looked at the association between declining DHEA levels and health problems, particularly those associated with aging.

While some research supports the idea that supplementation can be an effective treatment, the results of all the studies are not universally positive.