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Fountain of Health

Fountain of Health

Fountain of Youth? No such thing. But some people find that when they enhance their natural production of the hormone DHEA with a DHEA supplement, they can better manage some health conditions associated with the aging process and get more enjoyment out of their later years.

And then there are other people who would like to convince you to forget every positive thing you’ve ever heard about DHEA and other alternative health care treatments. The unspoken advice from these folks goes something like this: Just take the drugs your doctor tells you to take, and don’t worry your pretty little head.

Ignoring the successes

In yesterday’s e-Alert (“Sweet Bird of Youth” 10/31/06), I told you about a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that found DHEA to be safe, but mostly ineffective in countering several age-related conditions, although results suggested that bone mass density might be improved.

Time and again we’ve seen that a single study is never the last word, no matter how convincing it appears to be. There are just too many variables and a variety of different ways a study can be designed. Nevertheless, an NEJM editorial that accompanied the DHEA study dismissed the supplement as “quackery.”

Last week, Dr. Robert Bazell, the chief science and health correspondent for NBC News, wrote a commentary that featured the DHEA study. The title: “Ignoring the Failures of Alternative Medicine.”

Dr. Bazell’s position: Studies being conducted by the National Institutes of Health Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine are wasting millions of tax dollars by testing therapies that don’t work. He points to the DHEA study, calls the results “powerfully negative,” and notes that the study shows “DHEA does nothing to slow the effects of aging.”

Like those who look for a Fountain of Youth, Dr. Bazell is focused on aging, when it would be more beneficial to be focused on health.

Three not to be ignored

Here are three studies I’ve covered in previous e-Alerts.

DHEA AND MENOPAUSE

In a 2004 study, researchers at the University of Modena in Italy recruited 20 menopausal women. Each subject took 25 mg of DHEA per day for one year. Results:

  • On average, estrogen levels increased by three to four times compared to levels at the study’s outset

  • On average, testosterone levels also increased by three to four times

  • On average, progesterone levels nearly doubled

  • Improvement in hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms were described as progressive and significant

  • No side effects reported

DHEA AND INSULIN RESISTANCE

In another 2004 study, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine examined the effect of DHEA on excessive abdominal fat and insulin resistance. For six months, 56 subjects with an average age of 71 and low levels of DHEA were randomly assigned either 50 mg per day of DHEA, or a placebo. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure subcutaneous fat (fat that lies just under the skin), and visceral fat (fat that accumulates around muscles and vital organs). Results:

  • In DHEA subjects, both types of fat were significantly reduced compared to subjects taking placebo

  • Oral glucose tolerance tests revealed significant improvement in insulin sensitivity among those receiving DHEA, compared to placebo

  • No side effects reported

DHEA AND DEPRESSION

In 2005, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health examined the effects of DHEA on subjects with mild to major depression that developed in middle age. Forty-six subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group received 90 mg per day of DHEA for three weeks, followed by three additional weeks with the dosage increased to 450 mg per day. The other group received a placebo for six weeks. Before the trial period, at three weeks, and again at the end, researchers evaluated depression with three different depression assessment tools. Results:

  • Subjects in the DHEA group showed significant improvement in all three assessments

  • Every subject in the DHEA group had a 50 percent or greater improvement in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, while only 13 subjects in the placebo group improved on this scale

  • In their conclusions, researchers wrote that DHEA was found to be an effective treatment for mild to moderately severe midlife-onset depression

One note of caution: In spite of the lack of side effects in these studies, misuse of DHEA supplements may lead to hormone imbalances, so a medical professional should monitor hormone levels. HSI panelist Martin Milner, N.D., recommends that those who take DHEA should have their salivary hormone levels checked at least once every six months.

Sources:
“Ignoring the Failures of Alternative Medicine” Dr. Robert Bazell, MSNBC, 10/24/06, msnbc.msn.com
“Dehydroepiandrosterone Monotherapy in Midlife-Onset Major and Minor Depression” Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 62, No. 2, February 2005,
“Effect of DHEA on Abdominal Fat and Insulin Action in Elderly Women and Men” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 292, No. 18, 11/10/04, jama.ama-assn

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