ODX Supplement Series: DHEA

Optimal Takeaways

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a type of androgen found in both men and women that is primarily made in the adrenal glands. It is converted into testosterone and estrogen in target tissues. DHEA and DHEA-S are the most abundant steroid hormones in circulation. DHEA-S is the sulfated, metabolically active form (Rutkowski 2014).

DHEA levels peak around puberty and then decline with aging. Maximal values are reached between 20 and 30 years of age. Concentrations decrease steadily thereafter. At 70–80 years of age, peak concentrations are only 10%–20% of those in young adults (Samaras 2014).

Declines in DHEA have been associated with higher risk of a variety of age-related conditions, including sarcopenia, osteopenia, heart disease, memory loss, depression, erectile dysfunction in men, and low sexual responsiveness in women (Rutkowski 2014, Samaras 2014). Research supports the use of DHEA supplements in adrenal insufficiency, allergy, CVD, IBD, infertility, and vaginal atrophy (Rutkowski 2014).

Supportive Supplements

DHEA

25 mg/day to 100 mg/day (Collomp 2018, Merritt 2012, Peixoto 2018)

• 100 mg/day of DHEA for four weeks in healthy young male and female recreationally trained volunteers significantly increased DHEA, DHEA-S, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estrone in both men and women in the middle and at the end of DHEA treatment. The increase in testosterone was more marked in women than men (Collomp 2018).
• 50 mg/day of DHEA for four months in women 55–80 years old significantly increased serum levels of DHEA, DHEAS, testosterone, and estrone and substantially altered the patterns of correlations among the serum levels of these hormones (Merritt 2012).
• 25 mg/day of DHEA for 12 months in early and late postmenopausal women increased the androgenic, estrogenic, and progestogenic milieu and reduced climacteric symptoms, similarly to estroprogestin replacement therapy (Genazzani 2003).
• A meta-analysis of 25 placebo-controlled trials found that DHEA supplementation in elderly men can induce a small but significant positive effect on body composition that is dependent on DHEA conversion into its bioactive metabolites (e.g., androgens or estrogens) (Corona 2013).

Adaptogenic Herbs

Doses vary depending on herb used:

• Ashwagandha extract (Shoden beads, delivering 21 mg of withanolide glycosides a day) for 8 weeks resulted in an 18% greater increase in DHEA-S and 14.7% greater increase in testosterone compared to the placebo (Lopresti 2019).
• Supplementation of 75 mg/day of red Korean ginseng extract for seven days significantly increased salivary testosterone levels in the younger women group and DHEA levels in the older women (Al-Dujaili 2020)
• Supplementation of 250 mg of Tribulus terrestris extract (brand name Androsten®) three times per day for 90 days in female patients of reproductive age with sexual dysfunction resulted in a statistically significant improvement in total Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores and an increase in DHEA. Levels of both serum testosterone and free testosterone decreased, despite a positive clinical response to supplementation (Gama 2014).

References

Al-Dujaili, Emad AS, Maha N. Abu Hajleh, and Ruth Chalmers. "Effects of Ginseng Ingestion on Salivary Testosterone and DHEA Levels in Healthy Females: An Exploratory Study." Nutrients 12.6 (2020): 1582.

Collomp, Katia et al. “Effects of short-term DHEA intake on hormonal responses in young recreationally trained athletes: modulation by gender.” Endocrine vol. 59,3 (2018): 538-546. doi:10.1007/s12020-017-1514-z

Corona, Giovanni et al. “Dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation in elderly men: a meta-analysis study of placebo-controlled trials.” The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism vol. 98,9 (2013): 3615-26. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-1358

Gama, Carlos Rb et al. “Clinical Assessment of Tribulus terrestris Extract in the Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction.” Clinical medicine insights. Women's health vol. 7 45-50. 22 Dec. 2014, doi:10.4137/CMWH.S17853

Genazzani, Alessandro D et al. “Long-term low-dose dehydroepiandrosterone oral supplementation in early and late postmenopausal women modulates endocrine parameters and synthesis of neuroactive steroids.” Fertility and sterility vol. 80,6 (2003): 1495-501. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.06.005

Lopresti, Adrian L., Peter D. Drummond, and Stephen J. Smith. "A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study examining the hormonal and vitality effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in aging, overweight males." American journal of men's health 13.2 (2019): 1557988319835985.

Merritt, Paul et al. “Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) increases serum levels of androgens and estrogens but does not enhance short-term memory in post-menopausal women.” Brain research vol. 1483 (2012): 54-62. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2012.09.015

Peixoto, Clayton, et al. "Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis." CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS & Neurological Disorders) 17.9 (2018): 706-711.

Rutkowski, Krzysztof, et al. "Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): hypes and hopes." Drugs 74 (2014): 1195-1207.

Samaras, Nikolaos, et al. "Off-label use of hormones as an antiaging strategy: a review." Clinical interventions in aging (2014): 1175-1186.