Evidence Level
DHEA supplementation has been studied extensively, with mixed results depending on the population studied. Villareal & Holloszy (2004) published a landmark RCT in JAMA demonstrating that 50mg DHEA daily for 6 months significantly reduced abdominal visceral fat (by 7.4% in men) and improved insulin sensitivity in 56 elderly adults. Jankowski et al. (2006) found that 50mg DHEA daily for 2 years improved hip bone mineral density in older adults. However, a large 2006 study by Nair et al. published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 75mg DHEA daily for 2 years had no significant effects on body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or quality of life in 87 elderly men. These conflicting results suggest that DHEA supplementation may primarily benefit individuals with documented low DHEA-S levels rather than providing universal anti-aging benefits. DHEA replacement is well-established for adrenal insufficiency (Arlt et al., 1999). The key takeaway is that DHEA should be treated as a targeted hormone intervention based on blood testing, not as a general supplement.