DHEA's ability to increase libido, burn fat and slow the aging process may be reason enough to consider taking the supplement. But in addition to those, DHEA could also help you prevent and fight cancer. New research on DHEA is giving hope to many cancer patients. While studies are still navigating its positive and negative benefits, scientists are finally taking notice of the healing power of this natural hormone.
What is DHEA?
DHEA stands for dehydroepiandrosterone. It is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands. The body produces varying quantities of DHEA throughout one's life, converting it to the major sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Once regarded as a buffer hormone, scientists had believed that DHEA was involved only in the production of these hormones. New research, however, has found that DHEA-specific receptors exist in many cells throughout the body and aid in numerous functions, including possibly helping you to prevent and fight cancer.
Sometimes referred to as the "Anti-Aging Hormone," DHEA is the only hormone to decline linearly with age in both sexes. Because the natural production of DHEA in the body peaks around age 25, scientists correlated the waning of this hormone with several kinds of age-related diseases. The reason for this decrease is that the endocrine glands begin to shrink, thereby limiting the amount of DHEA your body can naturally produce. Based on a number of blood tests, anyone over the age of 40 who does not supplement their naturally occurring DHEA levels is already deficient by that age. By age 80, our bodies produce only 10 percent of the DHEA produced at age 20.
Short history of DHEA
In the 1980s DHEA supplements were widely sold as weight loss and anti-aging products. However, in1986 the Food and Drug Administration stepped in to halt the sale of DHEA as a non-prescription supplement, requesting more research on its long-term effects. After an eight-year hiatus, DHEA hit the markets again in 1994, partly because of the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Since then, the number of studies on DHEA has increased, thereby offering new insights into its cancer-fighting properties.
DHEA and cancer
In DHEA: A Practical Guide, Dr. Ray Sahelian describes several ways in which DHEA could prevent and fight cancer. In one study, nine healthy elderly men took 50 mg of DHEA for 20 weeks. Scientists found that DHEA increased the activity of lymphocytes, which are natural killer cells that find and destroy not only viruses, but also abnormal cells that may turn cancerous. Although the number of T lymphocytes was unaffected, T cell function was increased. In this way DHEA increased the quality of the body's natural defense against cancer, not necessarily the quantity of cells that do the fighting.
Sahelian chronicles another study that was conducted on mice and rats. In this experiment, DHEA was shown to inhibit the development of experimental tumors of the liver, breast, lung, colon, skin lymphatic tissue and other bodily tissues. Among pregnant rats implanted with a cancer-causing agent, 96 percent of the controls developed mammary (breast) tumors. Mice that were supplemented with DHEA but that otherwise received the same cancer-causing treatment had only a 35 percent incidence of mammary tumors. Dr. Inano, a Japanese researcher, concluded, "These findings suggest that DHEA has a potent preventive activity against the promotion/progression phase of radiation-induced mammary tumorigenesis."
Correlations have also been found between decreased DHEA levels and T cell leukemia. While DHEA has already been proven to be effective in treating hairy cell leukemia, new research also suggests that it might help T cell leukemia as well. Given the correlation between adult T cell leukemia and decreased levels of DHEA, some doctors speculate that DHEA might be beneficial. Other cancer studies show that DHEA inhibits cancer cell thymidine, a factor in cellular propagation, and disrupts the oxidizing effects of chemical carcinogens. Scientists claim that DHEA modulates the effects of chemical carcinogens on cells.
In his self-titled supplement bible, Dr. Earl Mindell, RPh, states that DHEA also appears to increase immune function. Evidence suggests that DHEA supplementation can reverse many of the immune function problems that arise as we age. Dr. Khorram found that DHEA stimulated the production of immune cells that fight against viruses and bacteria, as well as important cells called natural killer cells, which help weed out cancerous cells before they can grow.
DHEA for overall health
In addition to these findings, James Howenstine also suggests that DHEA "can counteract stress [and] improve clarity of thought and memory." DHEA is also widely believed to slow the process of aging, so supplementation may provide invigorating and replenishing effects. DHEA was sold as a weight loss supplement in the 80s, and it appears to have the ability to convert consumed calories into heat, rather than allowing them to be stored as fat. It may also promote lean muscle tissue.
DHEA Supplements and Dosing Precautions
DHEA is still in the middle stages of research. While enough studies have revealed the positive effects of DHEA on the body, there are still side effects one should consider. Some research has shown that high dosages of DHEA suppress the body's natural ability to synthesize DHEA on its own. High doses could also lead to liver damage and be harmful to the prostate because of overly high hormone levels. The key to DHEA supplementation, as with so many things, is balance. To maintain balance, a blood test should be taken three to six weeks after beginning DHEA therapy to help determine optimal dosing. You may also need to take supplements of the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium to prevent oxidative damage to the liver.
As always, consult with a qualified health practitioner before taking any hormone supplements.
DHEA comes in both non-prescription and higher dosage prescription-strength pills and capsules. Most DHEA supplements are made in laboratories from substances extracted from wild yams, the most common substance being diosgenin. You can also buy and eat wild yams, which the body can then metabolize and convert into DHEA.
The experts speak on DHEA and cancer
There is a real hope that DHEA can counteract stress, improve clarity of thought and memory, functions as an antioxidant and may help protect against cancer and osteoporosis. Dosage is 50 mg. daily in males and 25 mg. daily in females.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 141
Nine healthy elderly men with an average age of 64 years took 50 mg nightly of DHEA for 20 weeks. DHEA treatment significantly elevated natural killer cells. These are lymphocytes that are involved in searching out and destroying not only viruses, but abnormal cells that are on their way to turning cancerous. Although the number of T lymphocytes was unaffected, T cell function was increased (as measured by an increased proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin, a chemical that normally stimulates T cells). B cell function was also increased.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 53
Studies have also shown that DHEA increases the activity of killer lymphocytes and may even help protect against cancer. Because of these many beneficial effects and lack of any clearly adverse effects, consider starting long-term therapy with DHEA beginning at age 4O.This therapy needs to be monitored with regular blood tests so the dosage can be appropriately changed as needed.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 237
DHEA is thought to inhibit glucose-6-phosphate dehy-drogenase enzyme. This enzyme is involved in cancer promotion, lipid formation, and production of toxic oxygen free radicals.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 31
DHEA … lowers cancer enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehyrogenase (G6PD). British women having 10% less DHEA than that expected for their age group, developed and died from breast cancer, predicted by low urine DHEA tested 9 years prior; inhibits lung tumors from urethane and 1,2 dimethylbenz-anthracene, skin cancers (100 mg./ day), blocks colon tumors in mice from carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine, inhibits prostate cancer, and testicle tumors in rodents.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 1100
… DHEA appears to have a very broad range of positive effects. It is widely believed that DHEA slows the biological symptoms of aging, and helps protect the body from cancer, …
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 402
DHEA is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, but production declines steadily with age…. DHEA supplementation during the later years can hinder the onset of an assortment of serious disorders, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and asthma. …
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 29
DHEA….. we tend to produce less of this important hormone as we age. This decrease is connected to a number of degenerative conditions, including cancer. Taking DHEA has been shown to reverse many illnesses.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 84
Countless rodent studies with DHEA have shown increased life span and positive influences on a variety of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 28
The majority of the research done on mice and rats has shown that DHEA inhibits the development of experimental tumors of the liver, breast, lung, colon, skin lymphatic tissue, and others. …When pregnant rats received whole body irradiation during pregnancy and were then implanted with a diethylstilbesterol pellet (DES is cancer causing) for a period of 1 year, a high incidence (96%) of mammary (breast) tumors was observed. Another group of mice who received the same unpleasant treatment, but were supplemented with DHEA, showed only a 35% incidence of mammary tumors. Dr. Inano, a Japanese researcher, concludes, "These findings suggest that DHEA has a potent preventive activity against the promotion/ progression phase of radiation-induced mammary tumori-genesis."
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 78
We have found DHEA… to be useful in a variety of conditions such as … certain forms of cancer. We've given high doses of DHEA, up to 1,000 mg a day, to some terminal cancer cases, such as pancreatic cancer, and noticed that it was of benefit. Other anecdotal cases include shrinkage of lymphomas. …
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 79
Chronic inflammation is also involved in …, cancer, …. Excess levels of one or more of the inflammatory cytokines … are usually found when a cytokine blood profile is conducted. DHEA has been shown to lower these pro-inflammatory cytokines and protect against their toxic effects .
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 642
DHEA has a role in cancer therapy as an addition to chemotherapy. This steroid is one part of the overall treatment, not a cure-all by itself. I've observed that patients with cancer do better when, in addition to conventional chemotherapy, we also add DHEA and use nutritional therapies such as vitamins, antioxi-dants and melatonin.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 9
DHEA has been shown to inhibit chemically induced cancers in the colon, lung, breast, and skin. When applied directly to the skin, DHEA prevents chemically induced skin cancer. DHEA has this effect by blocking the binding of carcinogens to skin cells and by inhibiting the enzyme G6PDH.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 646
…. DHEA … increased the number and activity of cancer-fighting NK (natural killer) cells, which keep a watchful eye on potential cancerous cells and destroy them before they can grow.
Earl Mindells Secret Remedies by Earl Mindell RPh PhD, page 172
One study showed that patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) had significantly decreased levels of DHEA compared to healthy controls. This has led some doctors to speculate that DHEA might be beneficial in treating this form of leukemia because DHEA has already been shown effective in treating hairy cell leukemia. Other cancer studies show DHEA inhibits cancer cell thymidine incorporation needed for cellular propagation and disrupts the oxidizing effects of chemical carcinogens. Scientists point out that DHEA functions not as an antioxidant, but as a modulator of the effects of chemical carcinogens on cells.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 646
DHEA acts against everyday damage as well. By maintaining skin immunity, DHEA preserves the ability of skin to react to cancer-causing, skin-destroying pollutants in air, food, and water.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 647
.. This anticancer surveillance hormone may inhibit the metabolism of cancer cells. For various reasons, the cancer cell fails to become an immuno-logical alien to the host and will, therefore, be more easily rejected. DHEA may also play a …
Herbal Medicine Healing Cancer by Donald R Yance Jr, page 242
DHEA has consistently been shown to boost beneficial interleukin-2 and suppress damaging interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Interleukin-6 is overproduced in …, breast cancer, …
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 647
Free radical defense may have a lot to do with DHEA's ability to prevent skin cancer and papillomas (benign tumors). According to several studies in mice, topically applied DHEA keeps oxidant-loving enzymes at bay. Chemicals with carcinogenic potential depend on oxidases for transformation. DHEA's antioxidant action stops them … DHEA has another important defense: It keeps chemical carcinogens from binding to DNA …
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 1406
Hundreds of studies have documented the vital role that DHEA plays in the body, but it appears to be especially important for normal immune function. As we get older our immune system weakens, making us more vulnerable to infection, cancer, …. There is good evidence that DHEA supplementation can reverse many of the problems that arise in immune function as we age. … Dr. Khorram found that DHEA stimulated the production of immune cells that fight against viruses and bacteria, as well as important cells called natural killer cells, which help weed out cancerous cells before they can grow.
Earl Mindell's Supplement Bible by Earl Mindell RPh PhD, page 46
This has been tested with respect to one of the body's most significant and abundant hormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). …. Women with high levels of DHEA-S are known to have less breast cancer and osteoporosis. …
Freedom From Disease by Hari Sharma MD, page 191
... A deficiency of DHEA can cause breast cancer and heart attacks. ...
Health In The 21st Century by Fransisco Contreras MD, page 239
Many ^ranenopausal women with breast cancer have abnormally low DHEA levels in their blood and, for that group, DHEA may offer protection against cancer. ..
Herbal Medicine Healing Cancer by Donald R Yance Jr, page 242
…. 7-Keto DHEA is a derivative of DHEA that is not converted into estrogen or testosterone, which is good for women concerned about breast cancer and for men concerned about prostate cancer. 7-Keto DHEA is a good alternative to DHEA and has the same benefits.
Prescription For Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch CNC and James F Balch MD, page 67
Serum DHEA levels are usually lower in men with malignant prostate disease compared to healthy control subjects. ... On the contrary, there is evidence indicating that maintaining youthful levels of DHEA may protect against prostate cancer. …
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 300
… 7-keto DHEA is a stronger, natural descendant of DHEA… 7-keto DHEA … may be a safer alternative to DHEA in combating breast cancer.
Prescription For Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch CNC and James F Balch MD, page 226
… examined the action of DHEA on spontaneous mas-tosarcomas in dogs and cats. In six of seven animals, there was a regression at 10 mg of DHEA per day. Later, a human clinical study of 129 advanced cancer patients on 40 mg of DHEA per day found that while there wasn't significant regression of the cancer, two patients with renal cancer stabilized their conditions and tolerated the DHEA therapy without side effects for two and a half years. And according to Regelson and Kalimi, DHEA may be our best agent for blocking stress-mediated support of tumor growth.
Stopping the Clock by Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman, page 64
Administration of DHEA inhibited tumor formation in a strain of mice that develops spontaneous breast cancer. DHEA has also been shown to prevent chemically induced colon and liver cancer, as well as skin papil-lomas in mice.
Textbook of Natural Medicine Volumes 1-2 by Joseph E Pizzorno and Michael T Murray, page 697
DHEA and cancer: potential adverse effects
All men should have a blood PSA and rectal exam before starting DHEA. This needs to be repeated annually as there is a theoretical risk of activating prostate cancer if the DHEA causes testosterone levels to rise.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 237
Women may experience rising estrogen levels with DHEA therapy. Women with estrogen dependent breast cancer must get advice from their physician before starting this treatment.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 319
…In addition, since DHEA can convert to estrogen and/or testosterone, monitoring these hormones is also important. Long-term effects of DHEA supplementation are not known. DHEA replacement is not suggested for …people at risk for breast, uterine, or prostate cancer.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 372
… DHEA…. Do not use if pregnant or nursing, have acne, or with hormone-related ovary, adrenal, or thyroid tumors, prostrate, breast orreproductivecancers.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 10
DHEA therapy could have preventive effects in humans, as it does in animals, but I doubt that it can be helpful when the cancer is already full steam ahead.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 79
Studies suggest that DHEA supplementation may cause certain cancers. In addition, DHEA can accelerate bone marrow production and worsen some cancers.
Complementary Cancer Therapies by Dan Labriola ND, page 192
To insure protection against possible prostatic enlargement and or prostate cancer, rectal exam and PSA blood test should be done before initiating DHEA and annually thereafter.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 318
I'm cautious about using any hormones on a regular basis without good reason and without medical supervision. We don't know what the downside of taking supplemental DHEA may be over time. … DHEA probably increases risk of prostate cancer and may increase risk of coronary heart disease.
Ask Dr Weil by Andrew Weil MD, page 78
DHEA is an extremely safe hormone. … unless it is taken in gross excess over a long period of time. Up to 1,600 mg daily have been taken in short-term administration without side effects. … Also, because DHEA elevates male hormones, it is not an appropriate drug for men who have prostate cancer.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 403
Before initiating DHEA therapy, men should know their serum PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level and have passed a digital rectal exam. Men with prostate cancer or severe benign prostate disease are advised to avoid DHEA because DHEA can be converted into testosterone (and estrogen). These sex hormones and their metabolites can promote benign and malignant prostate cell proliferation…
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 300
DHEA may have some benefit against cancer, but it also has significant risks that, in some views, outweigh the potential benefits. DHEA is not recommended for use, based on the risks
Complementary Cancer Therapies by Dan Labriola ND, page 192
The December, 1995, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of a long-term study in women. Blood samples were collected in 1974 from 20,000 women. By 1989, a total of 31 cases of ovarian cancer were identified. Hormone levels of these cancer patients were matched to a group of women who did not have ovarian cancer, known as controls. Compared with the controls, the women who had ovarian cancer had higher androgen levels such as androstenedione and DHEA.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 77
Theoretical risks with long-term DHEA supplementation include an influence on hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, uterus, ovaries and prostate. High doses of DHEA for prolonged periods could potentially stimulate breast cysts or uterine fibroids. I believe DHEA has a positive role in low dosages, but we need to be careful not to go overboard. We may also find that DHEA can protect against certain cancers. It's still too early to predict.
DHEA A Practical Guide by Ray Sahelian MD, page 97
Because DHEA invigorates hormonal systems, DHEA is not recommended for men with prostate cancer or for women with estrogen-dependent cancer without physician approval. …
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 443
…. If DHEA were to elevate estrogen too much, this could theoretically increase the risk of breast cancer.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 651
… Taking extra DHEA means being saddled with more estrogen and testosterone, which may increase the risk of developing hormone-based cancers (of the breast in women and the prostate in men). Maybe I'm too conservative, but that's one important reason why I do not recommend DHEA for any patient..
Dr Isadore Rosenfeld's Breakthrough Health By Isadore Rosenfeld MD, page 11
Several studies have failed to find any benefit from DHEA in breast cancer. …
PDR For Nutritional Supplements by Sheldon Saul Hendle and David Rorvik, page 130
…. DHEA, if improperly used, can … accelerate the growth of preexisting cancer. If you decide to use DHEA, I strongly advise you to use it only with your doctor's permission and under his or her strict medical supervision.
Permanent Remissions by Robert Haas MS, page 154
In other cases, though, DHEA has been reported to stimulate the growth of breast tumors, making its use in cancer uncertain. And in one mouse study, DHEA appeared to induce ovarian tumors. Clearly, more research needs to be done.
Stopping the Clock by Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman, page 64
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