DHEA: Hope or Hoax© Janine Fowlds
Apr 27, 1999
Want to know what is DHEA for? The guy at the local health food store said that it slows the aging process, boosts the libido, and fights fat, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and AIDS, amongst others. Wow! When DHEA hit the shelves, society thought that it was the best thing since sliced bread. But scientists have discovered that "The Fountain of Youth" drug is not all that it's cracked up to be. It appears that the only magic that this supplement performs is by making all the people behind the production curtain rich. Evidently, DHEA went public over 10 years ago as a weight loss drug. The FDA halted sales since it was classified as an unapproved new drug that required a prescription. Now, it has resurfaced as a dietary supplement, forgoing all FDA regulations and guidelines.
DHEA or Dehydroepiandrosterone is a steroidal hormone naturally occurring within the body. It is a chemical cousin to testosterone and estrogen. Production begins in the morning hours by the adrenal glands, which are positioned right on top of the kidneys. As it enters the bloodstream, it passes through to the body's tissues and is converted into testosterone and estrogen. The onset of DHEA production begins around age 6 or 7 and peaks in the mid-20s, when the hormone is most prevalent. The amount of DHEA within the body will decline slowly with age leaving only about 10-20% to remain by the age of 75 [1]. It has also been noted that men always maintain higher levels of this hormone throughout all stages of life. Although DHEA is part of human existence, its functions are still unclear. Dr. Peter Casson of Baylor College of Medicine, stated, "...we still haven't been able to identify any mechanism of action," [1].
Lately, DHEA has come up against a great deal of criticism. The topic has been flooded with numerous warnings from the medical and scientific community. Multi-level marketers have misinterpreted and overlooked important aspects of the scientific experiments concerning DHEA. These problems resulted in false information. According to an article posted in the Nutrition Action Healthletter [2], William Regelson, author of "Add Decades to Your Life," made reference to a scientific study (of life spans of mice given DHEA), run by Dr. Richard Weindruch. Mr. Regelson stated "we have heard from colleagues of Dr. Weindruch's that the DHEA mice are actually doing much better than the control mice [on identical diets but with no DHEA], and they are very optimistic that DHEA will prove to be a tool which will extend life." The truth of the matter is that Mr. Regelson referred to preliminary results from Dr. Weindruch's unfinished experiment, which is not yet published. Also, Dr. Weindruch reported "DHEA does not prolong the lives of my laboratory mice, and may even shorten their life span," [2].
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