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Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Functions:
- Improvement of memory
- Enhancement of the immune system
- Protection against bone loss
- Provide cardiovascular protection
DHEA is the most abundant hormone in the bloodstream. It is produced by the adrenal glands. This hormone is produced in abundance up until the age of 25 at which time production slows. By age 80 a person's DHEA levels may only be 10% or 20% of what they were at age 25. This decline in DHEA concentrations with aging has led to the suggestion that DHEA could play a role in longevity.
In February 2004, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin- Madison exposed human neural stem cells to DHEA and yielded some of the world's first direct evidence of the biological effects of DHEA on the human nervous system. DHEA significantly increased cellular division in the cells contained in the lab dish, and increased the number of neurons produced by the stem cells up to 29%. The researchers observed that, of all the steroids to which the lab stem cells were exposed, DHEA was the only one to have such a direct effect on stem cell growth and new neuron formation. This new research suggests that DHEA may moderate the production of new brain cells as we age, and when taken collectively with previous broad research suggesting the role of DHEA in enhancing the brain and memory, an important potential role of DHEA in cognitive dysfunctions such as senile dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is revealed.
Daily DHEA supplementation has also recently been shown to remedy some of the side effects of menopause. During a year-long study in Italy, 20 menopausal women took 25mg of DHEA. Estrogen, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone increased by three to four times their previous levels, while progesterone rose nearly two-fold. Lead researchers suggest that one day DHEA may replace hormone replacement therapy, as this experiment resulted with all women reporting improvements in menopausal symptoms without any side effects of any kind.
DHEA has also been found to reduce risk factors associated with age-related heart disease. DHEA improves blood vessels by stimulating the linings of arteries to produce nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes arterial tension. In a Japanese study of 24 men, average age of 54 with elevated cholesterol, found that 25mg of DHEA daily benefited endothelial function (flexibility of arteries), insulin sensitivity, and fibrinolytic activity, with changes taking place as early as within four weeks of supplementation.
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