Is DHEA Still Relevant? by Jerry Brainum 2/23

 

 

Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA is sometimes referred to as the "mother of all steroid hormones" because it's a precursor for other steroid hormones including both testosterone and estrogen. The fact that DHEA is a precursor for potent steroid hormones such as testosterone made it of interest to bodybuilders and athletes. This led to the sale of DHEA supplements in the early 80s. These original DHEA supplements were derived from a sterol compound called diosgenin derived from Mexican yams. Indeed, these yams were the original source for early versions of both testosterone and estrogen supplements. Although the body isn't capable of converting diosgenin into active steroid hormones, it can be accomplished in a lab by using certain enzymes to promote the conversion. However, greedy supplement purveyors soon began selling wild Mexican yam supplements and labeling them as DHEA. Such supplements provided zero DHEA activity and soon caught the attention of the Food and Drug Administration or FDA. When it was shown that many of the commercial DHEA supplements didn't contain the hormone, but rather contained just wild yams, the sale of DHEA in supplement form was prohibited. 

The passage of the Dietary Health and Supplement Act by Congress in 1994 gave new life to DHEA and many other grey area supplements. A "grey area" supplement is defined as a substance that exists naturally and therefore cannot be classified as a synthetic drug. Since DHEA is produced naturally in the adrenal glands, it became an allowable and legal supplement. But this time, the FDA took a closer look at available DHEA supplements to ensure that they weren't just wild yam pills. DHEA proved to be a popular supplement because of its connection to testosterone production. Bodybuilders used it as a natural alternative to using anabolic steroid drugs, which were considered far more dangerous than DHEA. Because DHEA is a precursor to testosterone synthesis, it was assumed that ingesting oral DHEA would reliably boost testosterone levels. And it did under certain circumstances, but the effect was minor at best in younger men. But the newfound availability of DHEA thanks to the congressional law opened the door to a new class of supplements known as "prohormones." A prohormone is defined as a substance that is relatively inactive but can be converted in the body into far more active substances. DHEA can be considered the first prohormone, and it's a prohormone for more potent steroids such as testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estrogen.

But the practical experience of DHEA use by many bodybuilders and athletes showed that the effects of DHEA in men as an anabolic were weak to non-existent. However, DHEA was a potent prohormone for the production of testosterone in women. Women who use supplemental DHEA always show a rise in their testosterone levels, but this isn't as certain for men. But again, the effect of DHEA in men varies with circumstances. For example, a . . .