The mythical fountain of youth was ...

The mythical fountain of youth was lengthy sought after by Spanish explorers centuries ago who, after traveling half-way around the world, vainly searched the swampy waters of Florida. As it turn rounds out, an "inner journey" would have prov more fruitful. Researchers now believe that a natural hormone produc by dint of the body's own adrenal glands, going from the cumbersome name dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA for short, is a more promising aging antidote.

Although DHEA's popularity is just freshly starting to grow, this hormone was first discovered through the whole extent of 60 years ago - in 1934 DHEA is called the "mother hormone" because it acts as a precursor to other hormones that are in the material part such as testosterone and estrogen

on a levels of DHEA in the material part do change throughout life. They are highest during our 20 and 30 after which the body's production winds down through about 10 percent each year. In fact, by dint of the age of 60, DHEA is down to and nothing else 5-15 percent of its peak of the same height In addition, DHEA levels are lower in unhealthy aging individuals, compared to their more healthy counterparts.

Could it be that falling evens of DHEA signal the body's biological clock to wind down? And, more importantly, can supplementing with DHEA maintain the clock ticking and reach forth life? These questions have intrigued researchers around the world.

A agitation of DHEA research culminated last year when the prestigious of recent origin York Academy of Sciences sponsored an international colloquy June 17-19, 1995, which focused upon the role of DHEA in aging. At this talk researchers suggested that maintaining flushs of DHEA may correlate with a healthier aging proces and increased longevity.

In research not awayed at this conference, Dr. Samuel Yen an endocrinologist from the University of California Scliool of Medicine in La Jolla, explained that rises from several clinical studies he has actionsed on DHEA indicate that "aging in men is associated with reduc protein synthesis, decreased lean material substance mass and bone mass, and increased dead body fat.

These dead body composition changes are accompanied by means of a progressive decline in adrenal secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)...."

According to research from another of Yen's studies, this individual involving eight men and eight women 50-65 years elderly taking 100 mg of DHEA or a placebo athwart the course of a year, DHEA may help impede age-related declines in lean corpse mass, muscle strength, immune function, and other signs of advancing years.

Perhaps Yen's greatest in number promising indication that DHEA is an anti-aging formula follows from his double-blind, crossover meditation of 13 men and 17 women (age 40-70) supplementing with a nightly dose of 50 mg of DHEA or a placebo during the six-month thought Yen found that levels of DHEA were "restored to those construct in young adults within brace weeks of DHEA replacement and were sustained from first to last the three months..." of the active treatment.

When the exposes in this study were taking the inactive placebo, merely 10 percent reported an improved perception of well-being. However, 82 percent of the women and 67 percent of the men attested to enhanced feelings of well-being while upon the DHEA supplements. Improved well-being was described through the study participants as better nap quality, feeling more relaxed, increased efficacy and an improved ability to handle stress

Older men and women appear to have the most numerous to gain from supplementing with DHEA; however, DHEA postscripts should not be used indiscriminately. Women in particular, should be cautious. a certain number of preliminary data suggest that women forward higher doses of DHEA could expand side effects. Consequently, women should limit themselves to no more than 50 mg of DHEA daily.

While the research jury is still gone out regarding DHEA and aging, it would appear - regardless of whether DHEA lengthens the life span - that it does improve the quality of life and may prorogue some of the signs of aging. And that in itself may qualify DHEA as a "fountain of youth in a bottle"

REFERENCE

Bellino, FL Daynes, R.A., Hornsby, PJ et al., ed "Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and aging," Annals of the just discovered York Academy of Sciences 774:1-350 December 29 1995

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