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Dear Mr. Morgenthaler,

Thank you for the “Health & Wellness Update.” I look forward to each issue, and the solid information it provides.

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Health & Wellness Update

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Smart Drugs & Nutrients:

How to Improve Your Memory and Increase Your Intelligence Using the Latest Discoveries In Neuroscience

VOLUME 1 in the Smart Drugs Series

by Ward Dean, M.D. & John Morgenthaler
$12.95 - 224 pages, softcover (Out of Stock)

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Sec 5: Other Cognitive Enhancers

Acetyl­L-Carnitine (ALC) | Caffeine | Centrophenoxine (Lucidril) | Choline & Lecithin | AL721 (Egg Lecithin) | DHEA | DMAE | Gerovital (GH­3) | Ginkgo Biloba: A Nootropic Herb? | Ginseng | Hydergine | Idebenone | Phenytoin (Dilantin) | Propranolol Hydrochloride (Inderal) | Thyroid Hormone | Vasopressin (Diapid) | Vincamine | Vitamins | Xanthinol Nicotinate

DHEA

DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone (pronounced dee‑hi‑dro­epp‑ee‑an‑dro‑ster‑own) is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland. DHEA is the most abundant steroid in the human bloodstream. Research has found it to have significant anti-obesity, anti‑tumor, anti‑aging, and anti‑cancer effects. DHEA levels naturally drop as people age, and there is good reason to think that taking a DHEA supplement may extend your life and make you more youthful while you're alive. Additionally, DHEA may be an important player in cognitive enhancement.

DHEA protects brain cells from Alzheimer's disease and other senility‑associated degenerative conditions. Nerve degeneration occurs most readily under low DHEA conditions. Brain tissue naturally contains 6.5 times more DHEA than is found in the bloodstream in order to protect the brain from aging damage. Dr. Eugene Roberts found that by adding low concentrations of DHEA to nerve cell tissue cultures he could "increase the number of neurons, their ability to establish contacts, and their differentiation." DHEA also enhances long‑term memory in mice. Perhaps it plays a similar role in human brain function (Fowkes, 1988; The Independent, 1989).

Changes in serum DHEA-S (DHEA Sulfate) levels with age. (Redrawn from Finch and Mobbs, 1982)

DHEA is now being administered to Alzheimer's patients in scientific studies. People with Alzheimer's disease have 48% less DHEA than matched controls of the same age (The Independent, 1989).

We don't know what to conclude from this result. Maybe Alzheimer's disease causes low DHEA levels or maybe vice versa. We would like to see somebody follow a large group of people over time and see if people with low DHEA levels are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Precautions: DHEA use is experimental. Very little is known about long-term human use. Some women who have tried DHEA report slight increases in facial hair.

Dosage: DHEA is used in ranges of from 50 to 2000mg per day. There is no solid information indicating optimal dosage for humans, but if you want to get serious, you can get your DHEA levels tested every few months (for about $65), each time adjusting the amount of DHEA you take. Stop increasing the dose when your blood levels reach that of a 20 year old human. DHEA has a dose-dependent inverted U curve typical for smart drugs (Flood, 1988).

Sources: DHEA is now being used by many people with AIDS because of its immune-enhancing and antiviral effects. Non‑profit buyer's clubs make DHEA available in the U.S. for people with AIDS. Try contacting the buyer's clubs listed in Appendix A (see page 165). The overseas sources listed in Appendix A also offer DHEA. Other names include: Astenile, Deandros, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroisoandrosterone, Diandron, Prasterone, Psicosterone, and transdehydroandrosterone.

References:

Bologa L., Sharma, J., Roberts, E. "Dehydroepiandrosterone and It's Sulfated Derivative Reduce Neuronal Death and Enhance Astrocytic Differentiation in Brain Cell Cultures." Journal of Neuroscience Research. 1987, 17 (3) pp. 225‑34.

Cleary, M., Zisk, J. "Anti-Obesity Effect of Two Different Levels of Dehydroepiandrosterone in Lean and Obese Middle-Aged Zucker Rats." International Journal of Obesity. 1986, 10(3), pp. 193‑204.

Dean, W. Biological Aging Measurement: Clinical Applications. Los Angeles: Center for Bio‑Gerontology, 1988.

Finch, C.E., Mobbs, C.V. "Biological Measurements Involving Steroids and Neurotransmitters as Reflections of Physiological Aging." Biological Markers of Aging. 1982, pp. 30‑41.

Flood, J.F., Roberts, E. "Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Improves Memory in Aging Mice." Brain Research. 1988, 448 (1) pp. 178‑81.

Flood, J.F., Smith, G.E., Roberts, E. "Dehydroepiandrosterone and its Sulfate Enhance Memory Retention in Mice." Brain Research. 1988, 447 (2), pp. 269‑78.

Fowkes, S. Journal of the MegaHealth Society. May, 1988, Vol. 4, number 3, issue 17, pp. 6‑7.

The Independent September 1, 1989, pp. 6.
Mohan, P.F. "Dehydroepiandrosterone and Alzheimer's Disease." [letter] Lancet. 1989, 2 (8670) pp. 1048‑9.

Pearson, D., Shaw, S. Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach. New York: Warner Books, 1982.

Roberts, E., Bologa, L., Flood, J.F., Smith, G.E. "Effects of Dehydroepiandrosterone and Its Sulfate on Brain Tissue in Culture and on Memory in Mice." Brain Research. 1987, 406 (1‑2) pp. 357‑62.

Sunderland, T., Merril, C.R., Harrington, M.G., Lawlor, B.A., Molchan, S.E., Martinez, R., Murphy, D.L. "Reduced Plasma Dehydroepiandrosterone Concentrations in Alzheimer's Disease." [letter] Lancet. 1989, 2 (8662) pp. 570.

Svec, F., Lopez, A. "Antiglucocorticoid Actions of Dehydroepiandrosterone and Low Concentrations in Alzheimer's Disease." [letter] Lancet. 1989, 2 (8675) pp. 1335‑6.

Weindruch, R., et al. "Food Intake and Immunologic Alteration in Mice Fed Dehydroepiandrosterone." Experimental Gerontology. 1984, 19(5), pp. 297‑304.