November 24, 2004 – A supplement, which is banned from importation and sale in Canada, may help reduce waist circumference in the elderly, according to a recent study.
Based on preliminary results1, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) would have allowed participants to lose 1 kg (2.2 pounds) specifically in the abdominal region.
Naturally secreted by the adrenal glands, DHEA is an anabolic steroid hormone that the body produces in large quantities just before puberty. After your twenties, the level of this “youth hormone” gradually decreases.
During the clinical trial, 56 participants, with an average age of 71, were chosen. They were all considered physically inactive and had low DHEA levels. They were then separated into two groups: the subjects of the first group took a placebo, while those of the second received a supplement of DHEA at a rate of 50 mg per day.
After six months, the participants in the placebo group had gained some weight, but those who took DHEA had lost up to 1 kg of weight around the waist. According to the researchers, this targeted weight loss would also reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome since they claim to have observed an improvement in insulin sensitivity in participants who took DHEA.
However, the authors refrain from recommending taking DHEA to reduce her waist circumference, as the study had a small number of subjects and the long-term effects of DHEA remain unknown. It is suspected that it may increase the risk of hormone-dependent cancers (eg breast and prostate).
DHEA is a controversial molecule. In the late 1980s, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricted its use to prescription drugs only, only to re-authorize over-the-counter in 1994 as a dietary supplement. In Europe, the majority of countries consider DHEA to be a medicine.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Englemed
1. Villareal DT, Holloszy JO, Effect of DHEA on abdominal fat and insulin action in elderly women and men: a randomized controlled trial, The Journal of the American Medical Association, November 10, 2004, Vol. 292, No 18, 2243-8.
