Hormones and Antiaging Medicine: DHEA and Antiaging

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) exists in the body as DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) and can be converted to each other. It is mainly produced in the reticular layer of the adrenal glands and the gonads, but is also produced in some peripheral tissues. The fluctuations in blood DHEA levels are almost in sync with the fluctuations in blood DHEA-S levels, and it is common to measure DHEA-S levels in general medical practice. Blood DHEA-S levels begin to increase around the age of 6–7, peak around the age of 12–13, maintain high levels until around the age of 13–25, and then decrease linearly with age (Fig. 46.1). In recent years, DHEA has been proven, mainly at the level of animal experiments, to have various beneficial biological effects on the body, such as immune activation, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporosis, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-obesity, antitumor, and central nervous system effects. Based on these results, DHEA supplementation therapy is being attempted in humans, mainly in Europe and the United States.