DHEA supplementation: The claims in perspective
Ewa Olech, MD
Clinical Pharmacology Research Program,Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation; Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
Joan T. Merrill, MD
Head, Clinical Pharmacology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Professor of Medicine, Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City; Medical Director, Lupus Foundation of America
Address: Joan T. Merrill, MD, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, 825 Northeast 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Dr. Merrill has indicated that she is a consultant for Genelabs and has received grant or research support from Genelabs.
ABSTRACTDeficiency of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is associated with lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer disease, and some cancers, but we are not yet ready to conclude that prescribing supplemental DHEA is helpful in these or any other conditions. DHEA shows some promise in observational clinical studies and laboratory experiments, but we still need large-scale human studies to answer key questions. For now, we do not have enough evidence to recommend routine treatment with DHEA. As with other supplements, quality control is always a concern, and different brands may contain different amounts of active ingredient.