Dehydroepiandro Sterone (DHEA)

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DHEA

WHAT IS DHEA?

DHEA is the most common hormone in our bodies and is named "the mother of all hormones" as a result of it being the precursor to over 50 other hormones in the body. DHEA is an abbreviation for dehydroepiandro sterone, which is pronounced dee-hi-dro-epp-ee-an- dro sterown. DHEA is produced in the adrenal glands and is converted on command to specific hormones the body needs to maintain bodily functions, such as the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. DHEA is also responsible for producing hormones that control fat and mineral metabolism as well as stress. However, researchers have found that our body has specific DHEA receptors, proving that DHEA directly effects our body in some way. Overall, it is responsible for maintaining "youthful vigor, a lean body and many other desirable traits."

Unfortunately, natural levels of DHEA hit peak levels around the age of twenty and then decrease as we age. In fact, levels of DHEA when we are 80 are only 10% to 20% that of levels at age 20. Many researchers believe that "decreasing levels ofDHEA contribute to symptoms normally associated with aging as well as many degenerative conditions such as cancer and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries." Therefore, it seems likely that it would be of great benefit to find a way to compensate for the lowering ofDHEA levels as we age. In this way, we may find a way to possibly reverse the aging process, creating a "fountain of youth." Sounds too good to be true? Many supplement suppliers have caught on to this notion and are claiming that everything from weight loss to increased sex drive can occur by popping a DHEA pill. Supplement suppliers are selling DHEA in the pill form and suggesting that the general dosage should be 25 to 50 mg a day, or one tablet three times a day, stating that the goal be to "provide your body with the nutritional raw materials to efficiently produce and maintain its own DHEA levels."

WHAT DHEA AND DHEA SUPPLEMENTS CLAIM TO DO AND THE EVIDENCE SUPPOSEDLY BACKING THESE CLAIMS:

We already know that some researchers claim that DHEA is the "fountain of youth hormone" and the "master hormone" , and that it is largely responsible for maintaining many of the body's fUnctions.

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