RESEARCH - Tests show DHEA supplement no fountain of youth

[Guest guest]

Tests show DHEA supplement no " fountain of youth "

Wed 18 Oct 2006 5:00 PM ET

By Gene Emery

BOSTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The food supplement DHEA, touted as a " fountain

of youth, " does nothing to slow the damaging effects of aging despite

widespread claims to the contrary, researchers said in a study released on

Wednesday.

Extensive federally funded tests only uncovered " minimal and inconsistent "

evidence that a daily dose of 75 mg may help strengthen thinning bones.

But even that benefit was far less dramatic than what doctors can accomplish

with established medicines, said the study published in The New England

Journal of Medicine.

" The conclusion is very clear, " chief author Sreekumaran Nair of the Mayo

Clinic in Minnesota, said. " There's no reason for older people to continue

to take (DHEA). "

Earlier studies reached similar conclusions.

In a Journal editorial, of the University of Birmingham in

Britain said it was time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin

regulating the substance so consumers will stop being ripped off by DHEA

suppliers who make unsubstantiated claims about it. "

DHEA, which the body uses to make sex hormones, is widely touted on the

Internet and elsewhere as a " fountain of youth " drug that can slow the aging

process and treat everything from heart disease to HIV, depression and

Alzheimer's.

Appropriate regulation would dispel much of the quackery associated with

this elusive hormone, " said.

For decades, the Food and Drug Administration regulated dietary supplements

as foods but the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act took that

power away.

DHEA's reputation as an anti-aging supplement was based on research in

rodents and very limited studies in humans.

But rodents make almost no DHEA to begin with, " so what they were given was

a huge amount " in those studies, said Nair. It was also usually given to

young animals, not older ones.

The Nair study involved two years of treatment designed to give volunteers

over the age of 60 DHEA and testosterone blood levels equivalent to people

age 20 to 30 on the high end of the normal range.

The study also found no benefits to giving daily 5 mg supplements of

testosterone, the male hormone, to men over 60.

The treatments successfully raised hormone levels, but after two years,

people who received placebos were just as likely to have increases in muscle

strength, exercise capacity, and other measures of health than the

volunteers who received the DHEA pills or testosterone patches.

" Treatment with neither DHEA nor testosterone had any detectable effect on

physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or the physical and mental

components of the quality of life, " the researchers said.

Even if DHEA produces some benefits over the short term, they said, " they

are not sustained " over the long haul.

" Our data provide no evidence that either DHEA or low-dose testosterone is

an effective anti-aging hormone supplement and argue strongly against the

use of these agents for this purpose, " they said.

http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=B888166

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[Guest guest]

There was an article my local newspaper today saying the same thing

about DHEA and testosterone. It was written by Mike Strobbe of

Associated Press. I don't take that anyway.

Debbie L

Austin, Texas

age 50

>

> Tests show DHEA supplement no " fountain of youth "

>

>

> Wed 18 Oct 2006 5:00 PM ET

> By Gene Emery

>

> BOSTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The food supplement DHEA, touted as

a " fountain

> of youth, " does nothing to slow the damaging effects of aging

despite

> widespread claims to the contrary, researchers said in a study

released on

> Wednesday.

>

> Extensive federally funded tests only uncovered " minimal and

inconsistent "

> evidence that a daily dose of 75 mg may help strengthen thinning

bones.

>

> But even that benefit was far less dramatic than what doctors can

accomplish

> with established medicines, said the study published in The New

England

> Journal of Medicine.

>

> " The conclusion is very clear, " chief author Sreekumaran Nair of

the Mayo

> Clinic in Minnesota, said. " There's no reason for older people to

continue

> to take (DHEA). "

>

> Earlier studies reached similar conclusions.

>

> In a Journal editorial, of the University of

Birmingham in

> Britain said it was time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

to begin

> regulating the substance so consumers will stop being ripped off

by DHEA

> suppliers who make unsubstantiated claims about it. "

>

> DHEA, which the body uses to make sex hormones, is widely touted

on the

> Internet and elsewhere as a " fountain of youth " drug that can slow

the aging

> process and treat everything from heart disease to HIV, depression

and

> Alzheimer's.

>

> Appropriate regulation would dispel much of the quackery

associated with

> this elusive hormone, " said.

>

> For decades, the Food and Drug Administration regulated dietary

supplements

> as foods but the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act

took that

> power away.

>

> DHEA's reputation as an anti-aging supplement was based on

research in

> rodents and very limited studies in humans.

>

> But rodents make almost no DHEA to begin with, " so what they were

given was

> a huge amount " in those studies, said Nair. It was also usually

given to

> young animals, not older ones.

>

> The Nair study involved two years of treatment designed to give

volunteers

> over the age of 60 DHEA and testosterone blood levels equivalent

to people

> age 20 to 30 on the high end of the normal range.

>

> The study also found no benefits to giving daily 5 mg supplements

of

> testosterone, the male hormone, to men over 60.

>

> The treatments successfully raised hormone levels, but after two

years,

> people who received placebos were just as likely to have increases

in muscle

> strength, exercise capacity, and other measures of health than the

> volunteers who received the DHEA pills or testosterone patches.

>

> " Treatment with neither DHEA nor testosterone had any detectable

effect on

> physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or the physical and

mental

> components of the quality of life, " the researchers said.

>

> Even if DHEA produces some benefits over the short term, they

said, " they

> are not sustained " over the long haul.

>

> " Our data provide no evidence that either DHEA or low-dose

testosterone is

> an effective anti-aging hormone supplement and argue strongly

against the

> use of these agents for this purpose, " they said.

>

>

> http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=B888166

>

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>

>

> I'll tell you where to go!

>

> Mayo Clinic in Rochester

> http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

>

> s Hopkins Medicine

> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

>

[Guest guest]

DHEA still may have value for people with autoimmune disorders, as we

frequently have DHEA deficiencies, according to my naturopath. I take

a tiny dose of DHEA--10 mg./day. Haven't noticed anything yet.

SierrA

--- In , " " <Matsumura_Clan@...>

wrote:

>

> Tests show DHEA supplement no " fountain of youth "

>

>

> Wed 18 Oct 2006 5:00 PM ET

> By Gene Emery

>

> BOSTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The food supplement DHEA, touted as

a " fountain

> of youth, " does nothing to slow the damaging effects of aging

despite

> widespread claims to the contrary, researchers said in a study

released on

> Wednesday.

>

> Extensive federally funded tests only uncovered " minimal and

inconsistent "

> evidence that a daily dose of 75 mg may help strengthen thinning

bones.

>

> But even that benefit was far less dramatic than what doctors can

accomplish

> with established medicines, said the study published in The New

England

> Journal of Medicine.

>

> " The conclusion is very clear, " chief author Sreekumaran Nair of

the Mayo

> Clinic in Minnesota, said. " There's no reason for older people to

continue

> to take (DHEA). "

>

> Earlier studies reached similar conclusions.

>

> In a Journal editorial, of the University of

Birmingham in

> Britain said it was time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

to begin

> regulating the substance so consumers will stop being ripped off by

DHEA

> suppliers who make unsubstantiated claims about it. "

>

> DHEA, which the body uses to make sex hormones, is widely touted on

the

> Internet and elsewhere as a " fountain of youth " drug that can slow

the aging

> process and treat everything from heart disease to HIV, depression

and

> Alzheimer's.

>

> Appropriate regulation would dispel much of the quackery associated

with

> this elusive hormone, " said.

>

> For decades, the Food and Drug Administration regulated dietary

supplements

> as foods but the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act

took that

> power away.

>

> DHEA's reputation as an anti-aging supplement was based on research

in

> rodents and very limited studies in humans.

>

> But rodents make almost no DHEA to begin with, " so what they were

given was

> a huge amount " in those studies, said Nair. It was also usually

given to

> young animals, not older ones.

>

> The Nair study involved two years of treatment designed to give

volunteers

> over the age of 60 DHEA and testosterone blood levels equivalent to

people

> age 20 to 30 on the high end of the normal range.

>

> The study also found no benefits to giving daily 5 mg supplements of

> testosterone, the male hormone, to men over 60.

>

> The treatments successfully raised hormone levels, but after two

years,

> people who received placebos were just as likely to have increases

in muscle

> strength, exercise capacity, and other measures of health than the

> volunteers who received the DHEA pills or testosterone patches.

>

> " Treatment with neither DHEA nor testosterone had any detectable

effect on

> physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or the physical and

mental

> components of the quality of life, " the researchers said.

>

> Even if DHEA produces some benefits over the short term, they

said, " they

> are not sustained " over the long haul.

>

> " Our data provide no evidence that either DHEA or low-dose

testosterone is

> an effective anti-aging hormone supplement and argue strongly

against the

> use of these agents for this purpose, " they said.

>

>

> http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=B888166

>

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>

>

> I'll tell you where to go!

>

> Mayo Clinic in Rochester

> http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

>

> s Hopkins Medicine

> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

>