The Incredible Impacts of DHEA on Longevity & Vitality

Introduction to DHEA and hormone balance 0:00

Did you know that DHEA is an anti-aging hormone? In this video, I'm going to review the incredible anti aging effects of DheA and what you should know about this adrenal hormone. Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Stengler, a naturopathic medical doctor. I've been practicing integrative medicine for over 30 years, and I have written 20 books on nutrition and integrate medicine. Now, DHA, which stands for dehydroampiandrosterone, is a natural hormone that's critical for good health and vitality. Chronic stress and illness can drive your DHEA levels too low, yet few doctors test for deficient levels.

As a result, many people like you are left to suffer with deficien DheA. Now your adrenal glands produce most of your DHEA. The testes in men and ovaries in premenopausal women and the brains of both sexes can produce this critical hormone in smaller amounts. In addition, your body uses cholesterol to form the hormone prognanolone, which is then converted into DHA. Of course, this is one reason you should be concerned about suppressing your cholesterol levels too low, as often is the case with cholesterol-lowering

What DHEA is and why levels decline 1:00

statin drugs. As with most hormones, DHEA levels drop over time. By the time you turn 80, your DHA levels have dropped by up to 90% compared to what they were in young adulthood. And as our levels dropped, we start to see the effects. DheA in many ways works as a synergistic twin to the other stress hormone known as cortisol, which I'm sure you've heard about. It helps the body adapt to stress more efficiently. This includes physical, mental, and emotional stress. Studies show that declining DHA levels are linked to allergies, inflammation, fatigue, autoimmune issues, sexual dysfunction, infections, insomnia, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, bone loss, depression, and even cancer.

Justifying DHA is both beneficial and safe. Proper hormone balance is critical to good health and this is why testing is so important. I remember years ago when I had finished a naturopathic medical school and I tested my Dha levels and they were quite low and deficient. So I took DHa for a period of time and really felt the rejuvenating effects of it. And I see many patients where their DHEA levels are either low, suboptimal, or outright deficient, and it makes a huge difference in their health and vitality.

So I've spoken to many of my patients over the years whose conventional doctors made them feel concerned about using DheA. They're told that DHeA is a hormone and that it's dangerous and can cause things like hair loss, acne, even cancer. And what's interesting, DHEA is available over the counter. And even though the FDA does regulate dietary supplements, this is a fact, they don't have a problem with DHA being over-the-counter because when you look

Safety, testing, and personal experience 2:30

at the research, the D HEA has been shown to be extremely safe. So I wouldn't get overly concerned about concerns with the HTA. Now, if you have medical condition, you had history of cancer, anything you take, You should be running by your doctors just to get their thoughts on what you're doing. Now, DHA has many specific effects. It supports your bone health, it helps libido, we know it has helps to reduce inflammation of the body, helps energy levels, can help cognitive function. So let's look at a few more of these studies just in general.

Now one double-blind study published in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences looked at the benefits of daily DHEA supplementation in 280 healthy volunteers and these were women and men between the ages of 60 to 79 and participants were given 50 milligrams of DHA or a placebo daily for a year. Now what's interesting when we look at to conclusions of the studies the authors note that no potentially harmful accumulation of dha and active steroids was recorded and they established that Dha supplementations normalized some effects of aging.

And so this is why it's considered an integrative medicine to be one of the key anti-aging hormones. But more specifically in this study, they found improved bone density in women over the age of 70, improved libido, and healthier skin. And the researchers know that overall, quote, low concentrations of DHA are associated with immunosensence, which is the breakdown of immune system as people age, physical frailty, decline in muscle mass, increased mortality, loss of sleep, diminished feelings of well-being,

Research on anti-aging benefits 4:00

an impaired ability to cope, and occur in several common diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease." So DHA could be the key to keeping your body functioning at a much higher level of vitality. Now in recent years, there has been several studies demonstrating that DHEA has a protective effect against heart disease. For example, one study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that low blood levels of DHA were a significant risk for major coronary heart diseases for elderly men.

Then in the journal known as Stroke, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health reported an association between lower levels of DHEA and a greater risk of stroke in older women. The women whose DHA levels were among the lowest, 25% of the participants, had a 33% high risk for having a stroke. The other thing we often recommend DHA for, especially for patients who have low levels, is to help with cognitive function and mood. You see, research has shown that DHE supports healthy cognitive functions and a mood in various studies.

Now, why is this? Well, Dhe supports the production and functioning of the neurotransmitters in your brain. Of course, these are the chemicals that affect memory and mood. In fact, the concentration of DHA in your central nervous system is much higher than is found in our blood. Dha has also been found to have regenerative properties on brain tissues. People suffering from Alzheimer's disease have low levels of certain nerve-protecting growth factors.

Heart, brain, and mood support 5:30

But Dcha is able to help shield delicate brain tissue by preserving these important growth factor, including IGF-1, which is insulin-like growth Factor 1. VEGF, which is Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and TGf-β, transforming growth factor beta. In addition, DHA lowers levels of the brain cell-damaging stress hormone cortisol. Plus, several studies have confirmed that Dha supplementation actually improves cognitive function. People with low DHa levels are more susceptible to anxiety and depression, as studies show that dha supplements can help ease both conditions.

Also, DHEA is linked to strong bones, as I mentioned earlier, and balanced blood sugar levels. Now, many people have osteopenia, a loss of bone mass, or osteoporosis, which is more severe bone loss. And there's many factors involved with bone lost and different hormones, but this also includes low levels of DHA. Now, DHA is critical to bone metabolism. Studies with senior women have shown that DHEA supplementation improves bone mineral density within one to two years of starting treatment. Another condition where you should consider Dha, especially if your levels are low, is diabetes.

As a matter of fact, diabetics are often found to have low levels of DheA. In one study, they found an astounding 77% of men with type 2 diabetes had low level. Now this is a problem because DHEA plays an important role in improving insulin resistance, allowing cells to take up the glucose more effectively. Now DHA is also important for a strong immune system.

Bone, blood sugar, immunity, and sexual health 7:00

When you suffer from chronic stress, your cortisol levels skyrocket and your immune systems can become suppressed as a result. But healthy DHeA levels can counterbalance this effect, cropping up your immunities and helping to keep you healthy. There's even some research suggesting that DHEA could play a role in fighting autoimmune conditions, especially the auto-immune condition known as lupus. Also, healthy hormone levels support a healthy sex life. Similar to the hormone testosterone, DHA is vital for healthy sexual function in both men and women.

It improves sexual desire in those sexes. And in one study, researchers found that 50 milligrams of DheA improves sex function without having any adverse effects on their PSA level, which represents prostate health. And in postmenopausal women, vaginal DHEA suppositories haven't shown to help with vagin atrophy and vagina dryness. Lastly, there are more than a dozen studies suggesting that declining levels of D HEA are associated with a greater likelihood of death due to various causes. In other words, DHA supports so many systems of the body that a major deficiency can contribute to a number of diseases.

Now with all hormones, I recommend you have your levels tested before you take in your hormone, including DHEA. There's a couple ways you can do it. You can it through blood levels, you could do DHA sulfate blood level, which is best done before 9 in the morning. there's also urine tests where you can measure your DHA level as well.

How to test DHEA and closing remarks 8:30

So after you've been on Dha for two or three months check your levels make sure you're at a good range and then you know the dose you are on is a proper dose for you. Well I hope you enjoyed this video and if you have more questions on hormone balance or anything to do with integrative medicine check out other videos on my YouTube channel. If you like this videos make you hit the like button. We'll see you soon.