DHEA May Be Useful In Lifting Depression http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=333&st=333&r=EMIHC000&c=236217 August 10, 1999 The Medical Tribune The steroid hormone DHEA has been associated with benefits as varied as boosting the immune system, reversing the aging process, preventing heart disease and cancer, and building muscle. But it is DHEA's effects on alleviating depression that may provide the most cause for optimism. It is known that production of DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, starts to decline as people reach their late 20s and slumps to about 5 to 10 percent of its peak level by age 80. Some scientists believe this phenomenon partially explains the greater incidence of depression and suicide among seniors. In addition, a number of studies have pointed to the prevalence of low DHEA in people suffering from post-partum depression, anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia. The use of DHEA supplements to self-treat a condition that has been coined "chronic DHEA deficiency" by the health food stores that sell it should not be considered until more is known about its safety and effectiveness, according to a leading psychiatrist who is involved in ongoing DHEA research. "We do not know if there are only certain subgroups of patients that respond to [DHEA]. There are also cases of patients becoming overly activated, aggressive or psychotic with the treatment," said Dr. Owen Wolkowitz in an interview. Wolkowitz is professor of psychiatry and director of the Psychopharmacology Assessment Clinic at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Such cases, though, are probably rare, he noted, and similar adverse reactions have also been associated with prescription antidepressants. A study conducted by Wolkowitz and co-principal investigator Dr. Victor Reus, also of UCSF, suggests that DHEA may eventually be useful as a therapy for depression. In a study, 22 patients suffering from severe depression, as defined by their ranking on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), were given either DHEA or placebo. After six weeks, patients were re-evaluated for depression. While none of the 11 placebo recipients experienced a significant improvement, five of the 11 DHEA recipients showed a decrease of 50 percent or more in depressive symptoms, according to a report of the study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Results of an ongoing study of DHEA and depression conducted by Wolkowitz and his UCSF colleague Dr. Louann Brizendine are expected to be revealed next year. DHEA was investigated as early as the 1950s, when studies indicated the treatment may be beneficial for patients suffering from "inadequate personality" and "emotional and constitutional immaturity." Interest in DHEA gained momentum in the 1990s, but most studies have been on animals, were not placebo-controlled, or involved only a small number of people. The mechanism by which DHEA elevates mood remains unclear but it is generally believed that it acts as a "buffer" against the damaging effects of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. Interestingly, while levels of DHEA decline with age, cortisol levels rise or remain constant as people age. DHEA is also believed to increase the brain chemical serotonin, deficiencies of which have been implicated in depression. Finally, DHEA is partially metabolized to estrogen and testosterone, hormones that have also been linked to mood. While administered doses of estrogen and testosterone may be beneficial for many people, they represent a red flag to patients at risk of hormone-sensitive tumors such as cancers of the breast, cervix, uterus and prostate. "It is very prudent for [people in this risk group] to avoid DHEA," said Wolkowitz. "People taking DHEA for several months or longer should be medically followed for such tumors." Copyright 1999 The Medical Tribune News Service. All rights reserved. ©1996-1999 Inteli-Health, Inc. -- Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada [log in to unmask] ^^^^ \ / \ | / Today’s Research \\ | // ...Tomorrow’s Cure \ | / \|/ `````