| DHEA may ward off heart problems, diabetes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - DHEA, a popular supplement
with men, can reduce artery stiffness and improve the body's sensitivity
to insulin -- which may lower the risk of heart disease -- new study
findings indicate.
Levels of DHEA, a.k.a. dehydroepiandrosterone, decrease with age,
and this is linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease
Japanese researchers studied the effect of replenishing the hormone
in of 24 older men with high cholesterol levels. Half the men were
given 25 milligrams of DHEA daily for 12 weeks, while the other
half were given an inactive placebo.
DHEA treatment, but not the placebo, produced a significant improvement
in endothelial function, a measure of artery flexibility. This benefit
was apparent after just 4 weeks of treatment, note Dr. Hiroaki Kawano
and a team from Kumamoto University School of Medicine in Japan.
Treatment with DHEA also produced a significant drop in blood sugar
levels without altering insulin levels. In other words, it improved
insulin sensitivity, the researchers report in The Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology and Metabolism.
"DHEA has been demonstrated to have an anti-atherosclerotic
effect in animal models and there are some reports that DHEA may
have a protective effect against age-related illnesses in humans,"
the investigators note. Their findings shed light on how DHEA supplements
may produce these benefits.
SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, July
2003.
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