Page 3 - The DHEA Debate - Life Extensions Magazine

remember that the goal is fat loss, in which case the long-term solution is one that improves
insulin sensitivity and promotes muscle mass. In human clinical trials, DHEA has been shown to
do both.2-5 Research shows that obese women have lower DHEA levels than lean controls.6
New research is also showing that declining DHEA levels are associated (in animals and
humans) with a subsequent decline in carnitine-driven fatty acid oxidation. Thus, restoring
optimal DHEA levels may have a profound effect on long-term weight management. Remember
that fat burning produces energy but also requires energy to get started. Thus the accumulation
of fat with advancing age may be related as much to decreased energy production as it is to a
sedentary lifestyle. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, conclude that
reduced carnitine availability correlates with the age-related decline of DHEA.7 Here is a quote
from a study that investigated the role of DHEA and fat loss:
“Regarding the action of DHEA as a fat-reducing hormone, it is possible that this
hormone reduces the peripheral requirement for insulin by increasing glucose disposal,
and that lower insulin levels are associated with a higher plasma ratio between lipolytic
hormones and insulin, and a higher efficiency of lipolysis and loss of body fat.”8

Another area where the instant-results mentality causes confusion is in the area of mood and
feelings of vitality or well being. We know that DHEA is positively associated with feelings of well
being, and that low levels of DHEA are associated with depression.9-11

Naysayer: Wait a minute. There are good studies showing that DHEA does not enhance
feelings of well-being.12,13

Stephen Cherniske: Both of those are two-week studies, which is a flawed design for the
evaluation of changes in mood, memory, and cognition. What concerns me is that naysayers
use this two-week (too weak) data, even when they are aware of longer studies (of up to one
year) that demonstrate remarkable effects of DHEA on mood, libido, immunity, memory, and
overall well-being.14-20
One study in particular shows a beneficial effect of DHEA on midlife
dysthmia, otherwise known as the “blahs.” I include the abstract from
this study in the sidebar on the next page because it demonstrates
improvements in “anhedonia (lack of joy/pleasure), fatigue, lack of
motivation, emotional ‘numbness,’ sadness, inability to cope, and
worry.”21
Interestingly, these effects were experienced in as little as three weeks,
but I maintain that the range of health and anti-aging benefits from
DHEA unfold gradually over the course of years. Weight loss is gradual
and requires regular exercise. The important difference is that DHEA
can help restore the metabolic state in which exercise becomes easier,
more enjoyable, and productive.
Naysayer: So you have demonstrated that DHEA supplementation can
reverse certain psychological aspects of aging, but what about your claims that DHEA exerts
anti-aging physical benefits?

Stephen Cherniske: One of the most consistent and devastating aspects of aging is the
emergence of the metabolic syndrome, which is also termed Syndrome X. Decreased insulin
sensitivity, free testosterone, and HDL, along with increased LDL, total cholesterol, and
triglyceride levels, characterize the metabolic syndrome. The decline in DHEA secretion
contributes to the metabolic syndrome and its related diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and
type II diabetes.