DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
Adrenal steroid precursor that undergoes peripheral conversion to androgens and estrogens via 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and aromatase pathways. Functions as a neurosteroid modulating GABA-A and NMDA receptors. Endogenous production peaks around age 25 and declines approximately 2-3% annually thereafter.
Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.
- dhea-s
- total-testosterone
- free-testosterone
- estradiol
- cortisol
- lipid-panel
- fasting-insulin
- hormone-sensitive-cancer
- pcos
- liver-disease
- adolescents
- PMID:16728551DHEA replacement in aging adults — J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2006
- PMID:19136501Dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation in elderly men and women — Aging Male, 2009
- PMID:24389047DHEA and cortisol changes during aging — J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2014
- PMID:30368550Dehydroepiandrosterone as a potential therapeutic agent — Drug Des Devel Ther, 2018
DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body and it drops every year after 25 like clockwork. The clinical data is clear on the decline. Less clear on whether replacing it changes outcomes. The neurosteroid angle is underappreciated — DHEA modulates GABA and NMDA directly. That is not downstream hormonal conversion. That is direct receptor activity in the brain. Most people supplementing DHEA are thinking about testosterone. They should be thinking about cortisol ratios.
This is not medical advice
Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.
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