fatfree products, foods containing trans fats, and stress.
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA)SOURCE: Adrenal glands
NORMAL LEVELS: They vary with age, but DHEA sulfate for men is 400
to 500 mcg/dL, and for women it’s 370 to 430 mcg/dL
FUNCTIONS: Numerous, including a possible role in weightDHEA, another steroid hormone made in the adrenal glands and brain, is one of
the most plentiful hormones in the body. Levels of DHEA decline with age; a 70-
year-old produces about 10 percent of the DHEA levels produced by a 20-year-
old.
First identified in 1934, DHEA is produced in greater quantities than other
adrenal steroids. Since DHEA can be converted into other hormones, including
estrogen and testosterone, scientists assumed DHEA was merely a reservoir the
body could draw on to produce other hormones. However, identification of
DHEA receptors in animals’ livers, kidneys, and testes suggests that DHEA has
specific physiologic functions.
The role DHEA plays in direct weight control is controversial. In the early
1980s, DHEA was widely sold in healthfood stores, primarily as a weightloss
product. Until 1986, DHEA was a nonprescription drug, but the FDA reclassified
it because its long-term risks were unknown. Today, the FDA still does not
approve DHEA for any medical indication. But DHEA naturally increases
serotonin, which tells your brain when you’ve had enough to eat and inhibits the
conversion of glucose into fat. DHEA also protects against arteriosclerosis and
lowers insulin.
Animal studies have shown that DHEA assists in the prevention of obesity,
diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and even graying of hair. In humans, DHEA is
gaining ground as a hormone that improves one’s sense of well-being, relieves
fatigue, fights depression, and plays a role in the prevention of osteoporosis in
postmenopausal women. DHEA, like many of our other hormones, is not
immune to the damaging effects of manufactured fats. Symptoms of DHEA
deficiency include fatigue, anxiety, depression, low sexual desire, and lack of
sexual satisfaction. On the other hand, adequate levels of DHEA are linked to
longevity. If you overload on DHEA in the form of supplements, you may
develop oily skin and acne.
FOODS THAT HELP BOOST DHEA PRODUCTION INCLUDE: