Dietary Supplement Dehydroepiandrosterone Confer No Anti-Aging Benefits

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on October 19, 2006

According to a study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a hormone supplement marketed as an anti-aging product, confer no beneficial effects on age-related changes in body composition and function.

The double blind study involved 87 men and 57 women who were followed for two years. Participants showed no change in several markers of aging -- body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity or quality of life.

"For almost two years we restored DHEA in older men and women to the high normal levels that are usually observed in young people, but found no beneficial effects on age-related changes in body composition and function," Dr. Nair says. "No beneficial effects on quality of life were observed. There's no evidence based on this study that DHEA has an antiaging effect."

The results of the study were published in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. In the accompanying editorial, Aging and Fountain-of-Youth Hormones, editor Paul Stewart suggests that DHEA should be treated as a regulated drug and not as a dietary supplement.