Popular Anti-Aging Supplement not Effective

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, October 19, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A popular anti-aging supplement is not worth taking, according to a new study. The research reports dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) does not reverse any age-related markers such as muscle strength, peak endurance, muscle mass, fat mass and glucose tolerance.

With the rapid increase in people older than 60, there is a lot of research on slowing the aging process. Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., conducted a two-year study focusing on the widely used supplement DHEA.

Study authors say DHEA has been promoted as an anti-aging supplement because it has been associated with longevity in human and nonhuman primates. But this latest research finds there's no evidence that DHEA has any anti-aging effect. The study included 87 men and 57 women who were followed for two years. It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

Researchers say the participants showed no change in several aging markers including body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity and quality of life. Lead study author K. Sreekumaran Nair, M.D., Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, advises elderly people to stop using DHEA because it is unlikely to offer any benefits.

SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2006;355:1647-1659