dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and aging (longevity)

Last reviewed 01/2018

• adrenal glands secrete large amounts of the inactive precursor steroids dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate ester (DHEAS), which are converted into potent androgens and estrogens in peripheral tissue
  • secretion of DHEAS declines in humans with age
  • DHEAS is important in health maintenance; a myriad of studies in animals have suggested that DHEAS is a multifunctional hormone with immuno-enhancing, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anticancer, neurotrophic, memory-enhancing, and antiaging effects
  • serum DHEAS concentrations are higher in men than in women
  • maximal values of circulating DHEAS reach their peak between the ages of 20 and 30
    • after which serum DHEA and DHEAS levels decrease markedly
  • by the age of 70, serum DHEAS levels fall to approximately 20% of their peak values and decrease by 95% in people aged 85 to 90.
• a 27-year study in a community-based cohort indicated that DHEAS level may be a predictor of longevity in men, independent of age, blood pressure, and plasma glucose
  • in men after adjustments for age, systolic blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose showed significantly (log-rank stat =10.6; P<.001) greater longevity in the highest group (200 microg/dL) than in the moderate (130-199 microg/dL) or lowest groups (129 microg/dL)

Reference:

• 1.Yen SSC. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and longevity: New clues for an old friend. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001;98:8167–8169.
• 2. Enomoto M et al.Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels predict longevity in men: 27-year follow-up study in a community-based cohort (Tanushimaru study). J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008 Jun;56(6):994-8.