A hormone naturally made by humans, DHEA promotes healthy body composition by enhancing muscle strength and athletic performance, it slows down signs of aging and helps treat infertility in women.
Your body naturally produces the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the adrenal gland. DHEA helps produce other hormones, including testosterone and estrogen. Natural DHEA levels peak in early adulthood and then slowly fall as you age. A synthetic version of DHEA is available for oral use, as a tablet, and a topical cream. Frequently thought of as an anti-aging therapy, DHEA is also claimed to ward off chronic illness and improve physical performance.
DHEA is also used to slow or reverse aging, improve reasoning in older people, and slow down Alzheimer’s disease. It may also be used by athletes and others to increase muscle tone and mass, strength and energy. The hormone is also used by men who wish to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), as well as by healthy women who may have low levels of certain hormones that impair their sexual activity or those women who are looking to ease menopausal symptoms. Some people use it in the systemic treatment of osteoporosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, depression and low levels of steroid hormones. It may also improve chronic fatigue syndrome, schizophrenia as well as slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, it is used to prevent breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
DHEA is deemed safe for most people when used for a few months. Even then, it can cause certain side effects like: