Walk into a Walmart or Walgreens or other major chain that sells other items besides vitamins and health supplements and you are starting to see a lot more of them carrying a larger supply of DHEA than ever before. DHEA used to be one of those items you could only find in a dedicated health and fitness store like GNC. What used to be a secret among athletes has gone mainstream. But is that a good thing?
DHEA stands for deyhydroepiandrostene and if knowing how to pronounce that 77 dollar word is an exercise in perceiving the inscrutable, you should talk to some researchers about how and why DHEA does what it is alleged to do.
To quote a certain very funny character from “Shakespeare in Love”: It’s a mystery. In fact, it’s such a mystery that DHEA is even referred to as the mystery hormone among those who know all about its scientific makeup. What is known is that DHEA is a steroid hormone and what else is know is that it became famous as a result of accidentally being discovered as part of Mark McGwire’s bag of tricks during his record breaking home run season.
DHEA is produced as a result of the cholesterol in the adrenal glands and then is sent to the bloodstream to circulate as a sulfate derivative known as DHEAS. Contrary to a certain misconception, women as well as men produce DHEA. What is not a myth is that the levels gradually and without fail begin to fall as you age. What these falling levels of DHEA actually means for the body is another part of the mystery because at the center of the DHEA conundrum is this inescapable and potentially terrifying fact: research has yet to determine the exact role that this hormone plays in the body. As a result, falling levels of it could actually be something saves your life or at least keeps you healthy.
A society that views losing any resource negatively views the loss of DHEA from the perspective that if you possessed a lot more when you are young and vigorous and you are far less vigorous as you age and lose it…well, you do the math. The connection has turned DHEA into the so-called antiaging hormone. Anecdotal evidence by those who driven to relate their stories or paid to on internet review sites would have you believe that DHEA is far greater than sliced bread ever could be. The medical evidence is less encouraging, however. Studies haven’t yet pointed to DHEA being a fraud if taken in supplement form, but they have been inconclusive.
Even worse, however, is that one of the side effects that could come as a result of taking too much DHEA if you are a man is the development of flabbier areas of the chest. Man-boobs are definitely a possible part of your future if you decide to take DHEA. On the other hand, even the scientific studies have shown that some people realize the benefit of greater energy and feelings of well being. This could be a placebo effect, of course, but then the same could be said of any drug.
Unless you just absolutely are at the end of your rope and are tired of feeling tired and want that surge of well being, you would probably do better to eat a more nutritious diet. If, however, things just aren’t coming up your way, the evidence at hand so far does not seem to suggest any significant long term problems with low doses of DHEA supplements.
Sources:
Quackwatch
WebMD
“The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men’s Health” Harvey B. Simon, MD.