Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), also known as androstenolone, is an endogenous steroid hormone. It is one of the most abundant circulating steroids in humans, in whom it is produced in the adrenal glands, the gonads, and the brain.
DHEA is also said to slow up the aging process, improve sports performance, enhance libido, promote weight loss, and bolster the immune system. In addition,DHEA supplements are frequently marketed as testosterone-boosting agents and used for such purposes as increasing muscle mass and reducing fat mass.
Dehydroepiandrosterone is a precursor hormone, which means it has little biological effect on its own, but has powerful effects when converted into other hormones such as testosterone. Dehydroepiandrosterone is produced from cholesterol mainly by the outer layer of the adrenal glands, known as the adrenal cortex, although it is also made by the testes and ovaries in small amounts. It circulates in the blood, mainly attached to sulphur as dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, which prevents the hormone being broken down. In women, dehydroepiandrosterone is an important source of oestrogens in the body – it provides about 75% of oestrogens before the menopause, and 100% of oestrogens in the body after menopause.
Dehydroepiandrosterone production increases from around nine or ten years of age, peaks during the 20s and gradually decreases into old age. Dehydroepiandrosterone is also produced in small amounts by the brain, although its precise role there is not clear.
