Dehydroepiandrosterone | You and Your Hormones from the ...

Dehydroepiandrosterone is an important precursor hormone, and is the most abundant circulating steroid present in the human body. It has little biological ... About Contact Events News Search Search Menu Students Teachers Patients Browse About Contact Events News Topicalissues PracticalInformation YouandYourHormones Students Teachers Patients Browse Search Humanbody Home Hormones Dehydroepiandrosterone Dehydroepiandrosterone Dehydroepiandrosteroneisanimportantprecursorhormone,andisthemostabundantcirculatingsteroidpresentinthehumanbody.Ithaslittlebiologicaleffectonitsownbuthaspowerfuleffectswhenconvertedintootherhormonessuchassexsteroids. Cortisol Dihydrotestosterone Glossary AllHormones ResourcesforHormones Alternativenamesfordehydroepiandrosterone DHEA;3-beta-Hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one;syntheticversions–prastera,prasterone,fidelinandfluasterone Whatisdehydroepiandrosterone? Dehydroepiandrosteroneisaprecursorhormone,whichmeansithaslittlebiologicaleffectonitsown,buthaspowerfuleffectswhenconvertedintootherhormonessuchastestosteroneandoestradiol.Dehydroepiandrosteroneisproducedfromcholesterolmainlybytheouterlayeroftheadrenalglands,knownastheadrenalcortex,althoughitisalsomadebythetestesandovariesinsmallamounts.Itcirculatesintheblood,mainlyattachedtosulphurasdehydroepiandrosteronesulphate,whichpreventsthehormonebeingbrokendown.Inwomen, dehydroepiandrosteroneisanimportantsourceofoestrogensinthebody– itprovidesabout75%ofoestrogensbeforethe menopause,and100%ofoestrogensinthebodyaftermenopause.  Dehydroepiandrosteroneproductionincreasesfromaroundnineortenyearsofage,peaksduringthe20sandgraduallydecreasesintooldage.Dehydroepiandrosteroneisalsoproducedinsmallamountsbythebrain,althoughitspreciserolethereisnotclear. Howisdehydroepiandrosteronecontrolled?  Dehydroepiandrosteroneproductioniscontrolledbythebraininanegativefeedbackloop.Thismeansthatwhendehydroepiandrosteronelevelsinthebodyfall,thesystemis'switchedon'and,aslevelsrise,it'switchesoff'again. Thesystemis'switchedon'bycorticotrophin-releasinghormonebeingproducedbythehypothalamus.Thistravelstotheanteriorpituitaryglandandcausesittoreleaseadrenocorticotropichormoneintothebloodstream.Bothofthesehormonescausetheadrenalglandstoproducedehydroepiandrosterone.Whendehydroepiandrosteronelevelsrise,thebodyshutsoffproductionbystoppingcorticotrophin-releasinghormoneandadrenocorticotropichormone. WhathappensifIhavetoomuchdehydroepiandrosterone? Womenwithpolycysticovarysyndromeandhirsutismandchildrenwithcongenitaladrenalhyperplasia'data-content='1315'>congenitaladrenalhyperplasiahavehigherlevelsofdehydroepiandrosterone/dehydroepiandrosteronesulphate.Inaddition,levels maybe raisedinindividualswithcanceroftheadrenalglands(adrenalcarcinoma). Highlevelsofdehydroepiandrosteronehavealsobeenlinkedtoreducingtheriskofdepression,cardiovasculardiseaseandevendeathinsomestudies.Someexpertshavesuggesteddehydroepiandrosteronesupplementsmightovercomeage-relateddecline(aso-called'elixirofyouth')butthisisnotsupportedbycurrentevidence. Someathletesandbodybuildersalsotakedehydroepiandrosterone(ananabolicsteroid)toincreasemusclemassandstrength.Seriousside-effectsfromtakingmanufactureddehydroepiandrosteronehavebeenreportedanditisbannedbytheWorldAnti-DopingAgency.However,exerciseandcalorie-restrictionhavebeenshowntoincreasenaturaldehydroepiandrosteronelevelsinthebodyandmayleadtolongerlife. Since2000, dehydroepiandrosteronesupplementationincombinationwithgonadotropinshasbeenusedinreproductivemedicine asawaytotreatfemaleinfertility. WhathappensifIhavetoolittledehydroepiandrosterone? Lowlevelsofdehydroepiandrosteronehavebeenlinkedwithshorterlifespaninmenbutnotwomen.However,thereasonforthisisnotfullyunderstood.Decreaseddehydroepiandrosteronelevelsareassociatedwithincreasedriskofcardiovasculardiseaseinmenwithtype2diabetesmellitus'data-content='1282'>diabetesmellitusandmayalsocauseashorterlifespan,althoughfurtherresearchisneededtoconfirmthis. Inwomen,lowlevelsofdehydroepiandrosteroneareassociatedwithlowlibido,reducedbonemineraldensityandosteoporosis.However,supplementationwithcommerciallyavailable dehydroepiandrosteroneisnotrecommendedasthereisconcernaboutnumerouspossibleside-effects. Lastreviewed:Jan2017 Prev Cortisol Top Dihydrotestosterone Next RelatedGlands Pituitarygland Adrenalglands Hypothalamus Ovaries Placenta Testes ViewallGlands RelatedEndocrineConditions Hirsutism Menopause Polycysticovarysyndrome Diabetesmellitus Osteoporosis Congenitaladrenalhyperplasia Femaleinfertility ViewallEndocrineconditions RelatedHormones Adrenocorticotropichormone Oestriol Testosterone Corticotrophin-releasinghormone Oestradiol ViewallHormones RelatedGlossarySupplements depression anabolicsteroid ViewallGlossary