What is DHEA?

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The body produces 5–8 grams of DHEA every day, mostly in the adrenal glands. DHEA is made from another steroid hormone, pregnenolone, which itself is made from cholesterol.[1] In humans, DHEA is the second most abundant steroid after its sulfate ester, DHEA-S.[2] Rather than DHEA levels, blood tests usually measure DHEA-S levels, which are about a hundred times higher and fluctuate less during the day.[1]

The secretion of DHEA or supplementation with DHEA leads to increased levels of DHEA-S, a hydrophilic storage form of DHEA that stays in circulation. DHEA is the form that is transported into the tissues to be converted into the sex hormones (e.g., androgens and estrogens). Both DHEA and DHEA-S decrease significantly with age, with people in their 70s having less than 20% of the peak DHEA-S levels of young adults.[2][3][4][5] Since DHEA and DHEA-S are the most abundant circulating steroids in the body, and they decline with age, there is speculation that supplementation with DHEA and/or DHEA-S may reduce age-related declines in health.[2][6]

References
1.^Giovanni Corona, Giulia Rastrelli, Vito A Giagulli, Annamaria Sila, Alessandra Sforza, Gianni Forti, Edoardo Mannucci, Mario MaggiDehydroepiandrosterone supplementation in elderly men: a meta-analysis study of placebo-controlled trialsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(2013 Sep)
3.^Alessandro D Genazzani, Chiara Lanzoni, Andrea R GenazzaniMight DHEA be considered a beneficial replacement therapy in the elderly?Drugs Aging.(2007)
4.^A Bélanger, B Candas, A Dupont, L Cusan, P Diamond, J L Gomez, F LabrieChanges in serum concentrations of conjugated and unconjugated steroids in 40- to 80-year-old menJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(1994 Oct)
5.^N Orentreich, J L Brind, J H Vogelman, R Andres, H BaldwinLong-term longitudinal measurements of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in normal menJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(1992 Oct)
6.^Quester J, Nethander M, Eriksson A, Ohlsson CEndogenous DHEAS Is Causally Linked With Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density and Forearm Fractures in Women.J Clin Endocrinol Metab.(2022-Apr-19)