DHEA Supplementation May Be Unnecessary

DHEA, also known as the "mother steroid hormone," is one of the most accurate biomarkers of aging, because production of it decreases regularly during each year of life. Available without a prescription, DHEA is taken by American boomers for its supposed anti-aging benefits.

Because DHEA levels are low in Alzheimer's patients, some physicians believe that it's crucial to supplement with DHEA in midlife for "brain longevity," or optimum cognitive function. But the role DHEA plays in cognitive function is still poorly understood.

A new study conducted at the Laboratory of Personality and Cognition at the National Institute on Aging found that men with higher levels of DHEA showed no discernible cognitive advantages over men with lower levels. Dr. Scott Moffat and colleagues studied 883 men ranging in age from 22 to 91. Every two years for an average of 11 years, these men underwent a battery of mental tests along with measurement of their blood level of DHEA. Even though the levels of DHEA were four times higher in some men than in others, it was not associated with any intellectual benefit as they aged.

While Dr. Moffat's study did not address supplementation, others have. Two double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled studies were conducted at the University of Trier in Germany involving supplementing 50 mg of DHEA for two weeks in 50 people whose average age was 69. Neither study showed any benefit.

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