Posted on 06 Jun, 2008 -
DHEA: The Ultimate Anti-Aging Supplement?
Is this the answer to keeping your body younger and disease-free, your mood better and your energy levels soaring?
Plus: Three natural methods for keeping up your levels of this age-defying hormone without paying for the pills
If I told you that DHEA is such a vitally important hormone in the human body that it can protect every part of the
body from the ravages of time… you’d be interested to know how you can ensure you can get enough of it, right?
And what if I was to also tell you that from the age of 30 onwards the levels of the hormone DHEA
(dehydroepiandrosterone) begin to decrease until, by the age of 85, it may be reduced to just 5% of the level we
enjoyed during our peak levels in our youth?
And what if I was to add that DHEA deficiency has been directly correlated to immune dysfunction, depression,
rheumatoid arthritis, excess body weight, Type II diabetes, cognitive decline, heart disease in men, osteoporosis,
fatigue and mood swings?
You may ask yourself why EVERYONE isn’t taking it?
Given these readily-available facts, it is no wonder that DHEA is now one of the top-selling supplements in the
Western world. Indeed, as one commentator said on the subject, he recently noticed these hormone supplements on sale
on the impulse buyer’s rack at the till of his local Chemist.
In Doctor David J. Zeiger’s own words, “Taking DHEA has been touted as a way to reverse aging, invigorate a stagnant
libido, increase energy, tame stress, restore memory, reduce body fat, strengthen the immune system, and positively
affect chronic conditions from lupus and diabetes to osteoporosis and chronic fatigue syndrome. In other words, DHEA
has been called a “fountain of youth.” But keep in mind most DHEA studies have been done on laboratory rodents that
have little if any circulating DHEA. The relevance of this research to humans, therefore, is still in question.”
So what’s the catch?
Aaaah… I knew there’d be a catch. In fact, the truth is I’m not sure what to think.
On one hand I’ve read dozens of articles and books in which the wonders of taking DHEA are extolled.
On the other hand, I’m wondering what’s stopping me from clicking on many of the dozens of sites that now sell it on
the internet in the UK and buying myself a bottle of pills that could make me happier, healthier, thinner and more
energetic in one stroke? After all, I’ve done it with many other a supplement that has been all the rage of the
moment. And I’ve never been that resistant to popping prescription medication either.
An in all… I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.
Let’s look at the ‘medical evidence’…
Low DHEA levels have definitely and medically been associated with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis,
hypertension, obesity, AIDS, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and immune dysfunction illnesses. People who’ve taken
supplemental DHEA under study have reported improved sleeping patterns, better memory, improved ability to cope with
stress, decreased joint pain, increases in lean muscle, and decreases in body fat.
What’s more, no serious side effects have been reported to date…
So what IS my hesitation?
To be honest, I’m still not sure.
Perhaps I have become cynical about the magical powers of vitamins and minerals? Perhaps I worry that we are
interfering with the delicate balance of the human body (or even life systems on this planet) when we know too
little about it? Or may be there is some kind of deeper fear that we are not MEANT to defy the aging process to this
extent??
So what can you do?
As I see it, you have four options.
1. Take it and be done with it. Everyone else seems to be and it probably isn’t any more dangerous than some of the
other things I happily shovel into my body.
2. Forget you ever heard about it.
3. Talk to your doctor. Apparently (and this could just be in America), you can get your levels tested and if
they’re low take supplements.
4. Try to boost the level of DHEA in your body NATURALLY.
I personally like the fourth option so I’ve been doing some research into that.
Basically, there are three main things you can do to help keep your levels of DHEA from depleting as fast as they
might.
The first is by restricting the amount of carbohydrate you eat and opt for a more positively nutritious diet. If
you’re diet is quite heavy on foods like sugar, bread and pasta right now, aim to decrease the % of these that you
eat and increase the % of other foods like beans, fish, nuts, vegetables, meats and so on.
It may also be beneficial for your DHEA levels (and is anyway!) to eat good fats with plenty of omega 3 fatty acids.
DHEA is made from cholesterol, and your body makes cholesterol from healthy fats. You can get essential fatty acids
from a variety of oils like olive oil and butter, coconut oil and flax seed oil as well as my personal favourite the
pumpkin seed.
Secondly, since stress and negative emotional reactions have been shown to immediately suppress DHEA levels, taking
personal and DEFINITE measures (i.e. not just thinking about it) to reduce your own stress levels could be
essential. Ensuring that you at least get enough sleep is not a bad starter. Stress is said to increase the levels
of two hormones: insulin and cortisol. When blood levels of these two hormones remains high, they suppress the
“youth hormone”, DHEA.
There is one thing that can give you pretty much ALL THE BENEFITS LISTED for DHEA
And thirdly and most importantly, make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise. There is some evidence to suggest
that exercise can help keep DHEA levels up, but more importantly still, there is oodles of evidence that shows that
exercise can give you pretty much all the benefits that are touted for DHEA.
It is beneficial for those suffering from depression and general mood or emotional problems.
It increases muscle mass and decreases fat.
It improves bone density and lowers cholesterol.
It boosts energy and maybe even libido.
Many studies show it can even lower your risk of cancer and heart disease…
Oh, and it keeps you young and healthy....
