Page 2 - The DHEA Debate - Life Extensions Magazine

The DHEA Debate
March 2004

A critical review of clinical and experimental data

One of the most confusing issues in health care today is the role of DHEA in anti-aging. While
some promoters claim that it is a magic bullet that will confer heath and longevity, others state
emphatically that it has no value or is actually dangerous. Consumers are left in a quandary.
Concluding that it is better to be safe than sorry, millions of Americans ignore what may be one
of the most important anti-aging, health-sustaining substances available today.
Stephen Cherniske, MS, is a biochemist with more than 30 years of academic, clinical, and
research experience. He was an adviser to members of the US Olympic team, served on the
faculty of the American College of Sports Medicine, and taught clinical nutrition at the university
level for over a decade. His 1996 book, The DHEA Breakthrough (Random House), was an
international best-seller that helped launch the anti-aging movement worldwide.
In 1998, he was chosen to direct the Bioregenics Project, an international research effort to
explore the physiology of aging. In 2001, the project was completed with an independent,
double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial demonstrating that the underlying causes of
aging can be modified by nutrition, diet, and lifestyle.
This remarkable three-year research project forms the basis for his latest book, The Metabolic
Plan (Random House, 2003). Between 1996 and 2003, Cherniske conducted hundreds of
interviews and presented more than 1,000 hours of lectures to professional and lay audiences.
In these interviews and scientific conferences, he encountered tremendous resistance to the
use of DHEA. At the same time, more than 3,000 scientific studies on DHEA were published,
leading to a clear understanding of the chemistry, function, and clinical value of this important
hormone.
The DHEA controversy continues to rage, fueled more by opinion than facts. The following
interview of Stephen Cherniske by an imaginary “naysayer” was designed to explore all of the
objections that have been raised to the prudent use of DHEA. Importantly, Cherniske provides
meticulous documentation for his views, with more than 160 references to current biomedical
literature. It is our fervent hope that this level of scientific support will clear up the DHEA
controversy once and for all. Failing that, it should at least force the naysayers to back up their
claims with reasonable evidence.
Opening statements

Naysayer: DHEA, once touted as the cure-all for aging, has been a bust. It does not enhance
sports performance, eliminate wrinkles, restore energy levels, or confer any significant anti-
aging benefit. In fact, since it is converted to testosterone and estrogen, DHEA can promote
cancer.

Stephen Cherniske: In science, you only find what you’re looking for. Naysayers invariably are
looking for short-term benefits, when aging is a complex, lifelong process. It’s like the farmer
who plants an apple orchard and concludes that his efforts were wasted because after six
months, he has no fruit. When DHEA supplementation does not produce remarkable results (for
example, weight loss) in 28 days, naysayers conclude that “it doesn’t work.”1
In reality, DHEA is an effective tool in weight management, but you have to break out of the
diet-drug, instant-results mentality. In fact, you have to stop thinking about weight loss and