DHEA Information: Separating Fact from Fiction

DHEA is a prohormone that is produced by the adrenal glands, ovaries or testes, and the skin. As the most abundant prohormone in the human body, DHEA helps support many body functions. Humans make more and more DHEA from birth through age 25, then levels decrease every year by about 2% per year.  Cortisol levels increase every year as we get older. 

In the presense of DHEA cells tend to replicate well and thrive. In the absence of DHEA, cells die.
DHEA helps the body to build lean shapely muscle, improves REM sleep at night and cognitive function during the day. DHEA improves energy sometimes described as “sense of well-being” or "focus", improves memory, cardiovascular health, and reduces risks of cancer by boosting the immune system.
Perhaps most importantly, DHEA counterbalances the negative inflammatory effects of cortisol. Dehydroepiandrosterone is a prohormone, and as a result, it is a base precursor to testosterone, estrogen, estradiol, and 50 other androgenic and estrogenic hormones, all smaller carbon chain molecules depending upon which carbon chain sequence the body removes.
Unfortunately, there is some misinformation about DHEA that should be cleared up.
Relation To Aging
DHEA is not the “Fountain of Youth:” DHEA will not make you younger.
What science shows us through medical studies is that DHEA has many beneficial functions in the body. We are healthiest and happiest when DHEA levels are at their highest during our "prime" of life (age 20-25), and ever worse as levels decline. Risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer and diabetes are highest when DHEA levels are low. Conversely, cardiovascular health, mental sharpness, strong immune response, bone strength, deep sleep, sex and mood are all better when DHEA levels are higher.

Can supplementing DHEA levels make us younger? No. But can it reduce the negative effects of time on the body and reduce our risks of illness, many diseaes, and keep us at our best? Yes.
As mentioned above, people make more and more DHEA from birth through puberty into adulthood. Production of DHEA peaks at about age 25, when we are in our reproductive prime as humans. Then after age 25 levels decrease at a rate of about 2% per year thereafter. So by age 35, people are making about 20% less than they did at age 25; and by age 50 people are making only about half as much as when they were feeling and looking their best. 

Is DHEA safe? DHEA has no dangerous side effects. DHEA does not increase risks of cancer. Infact, DHEA reduces risks of cancer of all types and strengthens the immune system. DHEA is the most abundant naturally occurring prohome in the human body.
Losing Weight
Medical research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that “DHEA induced significant decreases in both visceral fat (that’s the kind within the abdomen) and subcutaneous fat (that’s the pad just beneath the skin) in men and women.”*
This is due in part doctors believe because DHEA helps improve insulin sensitivity, so the body functions more efficiently, burning glucose in the bloodstream rather than storing it away as fat. Furthermore,when DHEA levels are right people have more energy and sense of well-being: so they tend to be more active. They get more exercise because they are more active. Energy level and sense of well-being combined with a positive productive mindset allow a more active lifestyle. Also, muscle recovery after workouts is quicker. Lean shapely muscle and soft skin are visible signs of a healthier lifestyle. People like to see results. Quick nice visible results make users more apt to exercise and be active; people with an active lifestyle lose fat and stay healthier noticing the benefits of DHEA more.
Counterbalance the Negative Effects of the Stress Hormone: Cortisol
Cortisol is often called “the stress hormone”. Cortisol is released in the body as a protective inflamatory response. But chronically elevated levels of cortisol driven by chronic stress begin to have negative effects on our health and appearance as we get older. Cortisol produces many negative effects, such as a reduction in energy, feeling tired and bloated, increased body fat and breakdown of muscle.
DHEA is the only thing in the body that counterbalances the adverse effects of cortisol. While DHEA levels gradually decrease as we get older, cortisol levels gradually increase as we get older. For optimum health it is recommended that DHEA to cortisol levels be maintained at a ratio of 10:1
How to use DHEA - Dosage
The skin, or dermis, is the largest organ of the human body; and is where much DHEA processing actually occurs naturally in the body in both men and women. In fact, medical research shows that for post menopausal women more than 80% of hormones are metabolised in the skin. Daily recommended doses of DHEA for people 35 and up range from 25 MG to 150 MG per day depending on age and sex. The older you get, the more you need. Males have higher DHEA levels than women.
DHEA supplements are nothing new; but to actually feel and notice the many potential benefits of DHEA, it must be used correctly. The key is to provide the body DHEA the right way – as a bioidentical cream, so DHEA can be absorbed and processed in the skin rather than the gut.
When DHEA is taken as a pill, most DHEA is destroyed by the liver; and only increases levels of DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) not free DHEA. Free DHEA is what the body processes into the sex hormones. Twist 25 DHEA cream is a pharmaceutical grade bioidentical DHEA cream developed and tested to be safe, effective, and available over the counter, and it is absorbed and processed in the skin, not through the gut where the DHEA would be eliminated by the first pass effect of the liver.
When looking for DHEA cream, remember that all supplements are not created equal. Look for a pharmaceutical grade bio-identical DHEA cream that is tested to ensure safety, quality and strength. Additionally, be sure the DHEA supplement you use is a bio-identical DHEA cream, as this is exactly what your body makes and uses.
If you’re looking for the top quality DHEA cream, it is Twist 25  DHEA cream. Twist 25 has been thoroughly tested to ensure the best quality possible. Add a pump or two of Twist 25 to your routine each day and feel the benefits. You’ll feel the difference within a few weeks.
* Villareal DT, Holloszy JO. Effect of DHEA on abdominal fat and insulin action in elderly women and men. JAMA. 2004 Nov. 10; 292(18):2243-2248. Funding from the National Institutes of Health supported this research.