Page 9 - The DHEA Debate - Life Extensions Magazine

Stephen Cherniske: No, there’s only inference, speculation. Look, if DHEA caused abnormal
prostate growth, high levels of DHEA would be associated with high PSA scores. In fact, low
DHEA levels are associated with elevated PSA in men, and the converse is also true: men with
higher DHEA levels have lower PSA scores.98

Naysayer: Still, DHEA supplements might raise PSA levels.

Stephen Cherniske: That does not occur. In study after study, supplementation with DHEA—
even at high doses—has been shown to have no negative effect on PSA levels.99,100 In
private communication, many clinicians have told me that they have observed a gradual decline
in PSA levels in patients taking DHEA. Consistent with this are recent findings that prostate
cancer patients have higher serum levels of immunosuppressive glucocorticoids95 (DHEA
counters that) and that DHEA metabolites can inhibit PSA expression by interrupting androgen
binding to the prostate androgen receptor.101 These provide yet more evidence that DHEA may
actually reduce prostate cancer risk.

Naysayer: Well, if there is no danger, and DHEA might even help prevent prostate disease, why
are there no human trials with DHEA and prostate health?

Stephen Cherniske: Actually, the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute
is planning to study DHEA supplementation as a way to prevent prostate cancer in
men.102 DHEA has already been used successfully in the treatment of erectile
dysfunction.103,104 Here are the findings from a study that reviewed the effects of DHEA on
common age-related ailments:
“Low concentrations of DHEA are associated with immunosenescence, physical frailty,
decline in muscle mass, increased mortality, loss of sleep, diminished feelings of well-
being and impaired ability to cope, and occur in several common diseases (including
cancer, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s
disease.”105

Naysayer: Still, DHEA stimulates IGF-1, and that promotes cancer.

Stephen Cherniske: First of all, the widely cited association between IGF-1 and prostate cancer
has been debunked.106,107 That said, the concern for tumor acceleration does make sense
because IGF has angiogenic activity that would favor tumor growth. But IGF-1 has only been
shown to accelerate tumor growth in test tubes. Test tubes and petri dishes do not have
immune systems, which are upregulated by IGF-1. In fact, the preponderance of the evidence
shows that IGF-1 does not promote cancer in any living organism, whether animal or human.
Even direct injection of IGF-1 does not promote tumor growth in animals.108 In Europe, IGF-1 is
routinely given to cancer patients to help them gain weight.
Aside from this, it is important to note that increases in IGF-1 after DHEA supplementation are
significant but modest, and there are no published studies in which DHEA administration caused
IGF-1 to rise above the normal range. Moreover, scores of published studies demonstrate the
essential role that IGF-1 plays in the repair and regeneration of the brain, skeleton, and
cardiovascular and immune systems.109-112 Conversely, low IGF-1 levels have been
associated with dementia, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia,54,113 and a study in
the journal Gerontology shows that men who maintain youthful levels of IGF-1 do not
experience the decline in testosterone or muscle mass, or the accumulation of fat, that has been
considered an inevitable consequence of aging.114