News, Articles & Research - DHEA Studies
DHEA STUDY UPDATE
In the NADF News we published a short
piece on a DHEA Study being conducted at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Ketan K.
Dhatariya. Several of our members replied to his call for volunteers and
participated in the study.
The results of the study are currently under review by a few medical
journals, and Dr. Dhatariya has promised to let NADF know when and where the
studies are published. In the meantime, as part of his research for the
study, Dr. Dhatariya did a literature review of the studies on DHEA
available to him at that time. Following is the abstract from the review:
Abstract:
Dehydroepiandrosterone: Is There a Role for Replacement?
Ketan K.
Dhatariya, MBBS, MRCP(UK), MSC, and K. Sreekumaran Nair, MD, PHD
"Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated ester are found in high
concentrations in the plasma; however, their role in normal human
physiology, other than as pre-cursors for sex hormones, remains incompletely
defined. Studies of rodent models have shown that these hormones have
beneficial effects on a wide variety of conditions, such as diabetes,
obesity, immune function, atherosclerosis, and many of the disorders
associated with normal aging. However, rodents are not the best models to
study the actions of these hormones because they have very little endogenous
DHEA; thus, the doses given to these animals are usually
suprapharmacological. Human studies have been performcd to determine the
potential beneficial effects of DHEA replacement in persons with low DHEA
levels. Results have been conflicting. Human studies suggest a potential
role for DHEA replacement in persons who have undergone adrenalectomy and
possibly in the aging population. However, long-term studI es assessing the
benefits vs adverse effects must be done before DHEA replacement can be
recommended, "
The
full text of the review is 12 1/2 pages with 4 1/2 pages
of references that may direct the reader to other DHEA studies in which they
may have interest. The review is broken down into the following areas of
discussion:
- Biochemistry and physiology of DHEA
- Experimental Evidence of Biologis and Clinical Effects
- Mood and Well Being
- Cognition and Memory
- Sexual Functioning
- Insulin Sensitivity
- Cardiovascular Effects
- Muscle Strength and Body Composition
- Bone Immune Function
- Adverse Effects and Potential Limitations of DHEA use
- Availability of DHEA in the Unites States
Written with physicians as the target audience,
the literature review may be a difficult and/or tedious read for persons
with minimal medical knowledge. However, Dr. Dhatariya has managed to take
information gained from a large number of studies on DHEA and to condense it
into this one document, making it worth any time and energy put toward the
effort.
Many thanks to Dr. Ketan K. Dhatariya and his
colleagues at the Mayo Clinic for their efforts in this area of research
which affects our adrenal disease population. We look forward to reading of
their new findings as soon as they are available.
The review was published in the October 2003 edition of Mayo Clinic
Proceedings:
Abstract Only
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/Abstract.asp?AID=433&Abst=Abstract&UID=
Full Text (HTML)
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/inside.asp?AID=433&UID=
PDF File
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/ArticleToPdf.asp?PID=433&UID=
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