Timing Protocol
What researchers say about when, how and with what to take dhea, and how strong the evidence is.
The verdict on DHEA overall
Mixed
DHEA is worth taking.
9 sources: 6 partly, 3 negative
Short answer
Evening/before bed; based on individual testing
One verdict, worked out from every counted mention. One dot is one source: a researcher or a study. Tap a dot to see its receipt.
positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.
DHEA works best taken in the evening.
No counted mention yet.
Built from every credited researcher and cited study on each claim.
DHEA is worth taking.
Researchers
Gary Brecka, on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 1:05:16
Partly Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 1:05:16 →“you supplement them with DHEA and then all of a sudden the hormone production starts again”
Mark Hyman, on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 1:25:07
Partly Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 1:25:07 →“i always like to actually increase these hormones naturally but sometimes a little bit of dha can make a big difference for some patients”
Studies
Trial or observed group, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2000, PMID 10760294
Partly Study
Read the paper on PubMed →However, the subjects, eager to collaborate in this effort of public health importance, were in such good condition that results were demonstrated in only part of the population, mainly people over 70 y old.
Controlled trial, Am J Clin Nutr, 2009, PMID 19321570
Partly Study
Read the paper on PubMed →DHEA supplementation in older women, but not in men, improves spine BMD when co-administered with vitamin D and calcium.
Controlled trial, Aging (Albany NY), 2011, PMID 21566261
Partly Study
Read the paper on PubMed →DHEA replacement improved glucose tolerance/insulin resistance only in those participants who had abnormal glucose tolerance, with no improvement in those with normal glucose tolerance.
Pooled analysis, Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015, PMID 25879093
Partly Study
Read the paper on PubMed →There is no evidence that DHEA improves quality of life but there is some evidence that it is associated with androgenic side effects.
Pooled analysis, Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2006, PMID 17054283
Negative Study
Read the paper on PubMed →What little evidence there is from controlled trials does not support a beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation on cognitive function of non‐demented middle‐aged or elderly people.
Controlled trial, J Am Geriatr Soc, 2008, PMID 18482290
Negative Study
Read the paper on PubMed →DHEA supplementation has no benefit on cognitive performance or well-being in healthy older adults, and it should not be recommended for that purpose in the general population.
Pooled analysis, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2014, PMID 25279571
Negative Study
Read the paper on PubMed →Evidence warranting low confidence in estimates suggests that DHEA cannot significantly improve sexual symptoms or other metabolic parameters in postmenopausal women with normal adrenal function.
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