When is DHEA Supplementation Beneficial?
The Non-prescription Adrenal Hormone Treatment
Aug 26, 2009
DHEA is an essential adrenal hormone that carries out a number of important purposes in the body. The hormone can become low due to certain types of disease processes, such as autoimmune, inflammatory and chronic health disorders but also decreases in the body with age. Levels of DHEA can drop below normal values or remain in a low-normal state, which may require hormone replacement therapy. When DHEA is supplemented when it is not needed, it can cause adverse effects in the body.
What is DHEA?
The full medical name for this hormone is “dehydroepiandrosterone” and is a hormone that is endogenous, meaning it is made in the human body, even though it can be supplied to the body from an outside source. Being the most abundant adrenal hormone in the body, it is manufactured by the adrenal glands and afterward is converted into other essential hormones, as they are needed. It is also referred to as a steroid but because it undergoes a synthesizing process in the brain, it is also called a neurosteroid.
DHEA is available over-the-counter in supplement form and most brands are made from extracts derived from wild Mexican yams. Claims by some medical sources and by research done by firms that manufacture DHEA supplements, the hormone can increase positive mood, sex drive, immune system function and energy levels when supplemented. It is important to add that these benefits would only be realized if supplementation with the hormone is done so at the dose needed and at a level that does not adversely affect sex hormone balance.
Precurser to Sex Hormones
A major function of DHEA is converting into sex hormones for both males and females. All sex hormones are common to both sexes but in different balance for each gender. The male hormones DHEA converts into are referred to as androgens and the female hormones it converts into are referred to as estrogens. Because of the hormone being available to convert into these other hormones this also places it in the category of being a “precursor hormone”, meaning it is on stand-by to convert as needed.
Hyperandrogenism in Men and Women
It is important that DHEA levels are in proper balance in women, due to the risk of too many male hormones being produced through conversion if levels become too high. The term for too much male hormone production is “hyperandrogenism” and can result in a condition called hirsutism in women, in which there is excessive growth of body hair. Other symptoms of hyperandrogenism in women can include acne, increased muscle growth, a change in sex drive, decreased breast size and a deeper tone to the voice. Some medical sources state that about 10% of the female population is experiencing some degree of hirsutism from hyperandrogenism.
A major cause of hyperandrogenism in women is “polycystic ovary syndrome” (PECOS) in which the ovaries cause an excessive amount of androgens to be produced. It can also be caused by overproduction of DHEA from the adrenal glands, from over-supplementing with DHEA or from taking doses of the hormone when it is not needed.
Hyperandrogenism can also occur in males but symptoms and manifestations of the condition are less noticeable in adult males. When symptoms do occur, they can include male pattern baldness (alopecia), acne, abnormally high testosterone levels, changes in sex drive and irritability. In pre-teen males, hyperandrogenism can cause early onset and an abnormal increase in the advancement of puberty.
Testing Before Supplementing
With the risk of inducing hyperandrogenism from supplementing with DHEA when there is not a need for it, this points to the great importance in first testing the hormone’s level before attempting to increase it in the body. Adrenal hormone testing usually includes both the DHEA and cortisol levels because these hormones interact with each other, creating a ratio between them. According to some medical sources, DHEA can suppress cortisol levels and vise-versa and supplementing one may also require supplementing the other to keep the ratio balanced.
Opinions vary as to what a safe supplemented amount of DHEA would be. Some sources state that up to 25mg in females and up to 50mg in males is a safe dose however, this would not be the case if DHEA levels are already at proper-normal, high-normal or flagged-high. Supplementation added at these levels, could cause adverse side effects as previously described and demonstrates the importance in testing adrenal and sex hormone levels before considering supplementation.
A patient can test hormone levels and supplement with DHEA on his own if levels are low but should do so with extreme caution, making sure to retest the hormone levels at regular intervals to monitor the treatment. The better and safer scenario would be to have a treating doctor order saliva and/or blood-serum adrenal and sex hormone tests, to assure that DHEA supplementation is safe for a patient and so that he can determine the proper dosage needed.
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