# Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

Category: Hormones

Also known as: dehydroepiandrosterone, Dehydroepiandrosterone, dhea, DHEA

Known as the youth hormone, is very similar to progesterone, but is present in both men and women at very high levels. It can be turned into either estrogen or testosterone.

10 passages · 3 authors · 1986–2025 · Most-cited: [Ray Peat](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/ray-peat/index.md)

Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/dehydroepiandrosterone-dhea

## Synthesis

**Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)** is a steroid hormone Peat described as a **youth-associated hormone**, abundant in the body yet lacking a single dominant function. [Source 2, 3] It is very similar to progesterone and present at high levels in both men and women, where it can be converted into either estrogen or testosterone. [Source 1] Production declines sharply with age, falling to about 5% of youthful levels, a decrease comparable to that of progesterone and pregnenolone. [Source 2, 3] Much of the body's DHEA is formed in the brain from **pregnenolone**, and the brain maintains a much higher concentration than the blood; production also occurs in other organs, including the skin, and does not depend solely on the adrenal glands. [Source 2, 3]

A major function of DHEA is protection against the toxic, catabolic actions of stress-associated hormones like **cortisone**. [Source 2] It blocks the destructive effects of cortisone on the skin, muscles, and bones, actively restoring normal growth and repair processes. [Source 2] DHEA stimulates cells to absorb and burn sugar, increasing heat production and general energy levels while helping to prevent obesity, which Peat noted is one reason young people tolerate cold better and eat more without gaining fat. [Source 3] It also tends to improve thyroid and other gland functions, contributing to its wide range of beneficial effects. [Source 2] Dinkov has compiled evidence that DHEA has *anti-cortisol and anti-diabetic effects*, improves bone turnover and skin quality, enhances mood and memory, and opposes LDL oxidation and plaque formation. [Source 7]

Peat cautioned that DHEA supplementation carries risks, particularly in a low-thyroid or high-stress context. If thyroid function is very low, or in the presence of stress, irritation, and inflammation, the enzyme **aromatase** is activated, which can convert DHEA into estrogen rather than protective steroids. [Source 4, 10] Excess DHEA can also be turned into testosterone, and large amounts of these sex hormones can disturb the thymus gland and liver. [Source 3] For this reason, Peat recommended that hypothyroid individuals be cautious, that women avoid excessive doses due to potential *masculinizing effects*, and that anyone supplementing start with small amounts, such as 5 mg, taken orally with a little olive oil or butter. [Source 4] Roddy has echoed this, noting that extreme caution is warranted and suggesting a starting dose as low as one milligram, especially for those with high estrogen symptoms. [Source 8] Peat considered pregnenolone essentially always safe and preferable as a first intervention, as it can correct DHEA levels according to need without risking the imbalance that direct DHEA supplementation can cause. [Source 4, 9]

Peat identified DHEA's therapeutic value in a range of degenerative and autoimmune conditions. He held a patent for using DHEA and related anesthetic steroids dissolved in an oily vehicle for treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, and arthritis associated with lupus and other autoimmune diseases, administered topically or orally. [Source 5] He noted that DHEA corrects immunological defects caused by estrogen, protects against cancer—apparently by opposing the toxic effects of excess estrogen—and, in an experimental model, cured diabetes by regenerating insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. [Source 2, 3] Dinkov added that DHEA is an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease and is FDA-approved for systemic lupus erythematosus. [Source 7] Peat advised that when testing is desired, serum unconjugated DHEA is preferable to the sulfate form (DHEAS), though he interpreted blood or saliva tests as indicating more about *liver function* than actual tissue levels, making it better to simply correct the overall metabolic context. [Source 6, 9]

## People also ask

### How does DHEA protect against the effects of stress?

Peat described DHEA as blocking the toxic, catabolic actions of stress hormones like cortisone on the skin, muscles, and bones, thereby restoring normal growth and repair processes.

### Why did Peat recommend caution with DHEA supplements?

Peat warned that in a low-thyroid or high-stress state, the enzyme aromatase can convert DHEA into estrogen, and excess DHEA may also turn into testosterone, potentially disturbing the thymus and liver.

### What did Peat consider a safer alternative to DHEA supplementation?

Peat considered pregnenolone essentially always safe and preferable as a first intervention, because it can correct DHEA levels according to need without risking the imbalance that direct DHEA supplementation can cause.

## Related concepts

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- [Anemia](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/anemia/index.md)
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## Cited passages

Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above.

### Source 1 — Glossary

Ray Peat · Glossary

> Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
>
> Known as the youth hormone, is very similar to progesterone, but is present in both men and women at very high levels. It can be turned into either estrogen or testosterone.

### Source 2 — From PMS to Menopause: Female Hormones in Context

Ray Peat · Book · 1997

> #### DHEA: ANOTHER YOUTH-ASSOCIATED HORMONE
>
> **Ray Peat:** DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) has a technical-sounding name because it has never been identified with a single dominant function, in spite of its abundance in the body. Many researchers still think of it as a substance produced by the adrenal glands, but experiments show that animals without adrenals are able to produce it in normal amounts. Much of it is formed in the brain (from pregnenolone), but it is probably produced in other organs, including the skin. The brain contains a much higher concentration of DHEA than the blood does. In old age, we produce only about 5% as much as we do in youth. This is about the same decrease that occurs with progesterone and pregnenolone. The other hormones (for example, cortisone) do not decrease so much; as a result, our balance shifts continually during aging toward dominance by hormones such as cortisone, which use up more and more body substance, without rebuilding it. Protection against the toxic actions of these specialized hormones is a major function of DHEA and the other youth-associated hormones. For example, starvation, aging, and stress cause the skin to become thin and fragile. An excess of cortisone--whether it is from medical treatment, or from stress, aging, or malnutrition--does the same thing. Material from the skin is dissolved to provide nutrition for the more essential organs. Other organs, such as the muscles and bones, dissolve more slowly, but just as destructively, under the continued influence of cortisone. DHEA blocks these destructive effects of cortisone, and actively restores the normal growth and repair processes to those organs, strengthening the skin and bones and other organs. Stimulation of bone-growth by DHEA has been demonstrated in vitro (in laboratory tests), and it has been used to relieve many symptoms caused by osteoporosis and arthritis, even when applied topically in an oily solution.

### Source 3 — From PMS to Menopause: Female Hormones in Context

Ray Peat · Book · 1997

> **Ray Peat:** Estrogen is known to produce a great variety of immunological defects, and DHEA, apparently by its balancing and restorative actions, is able to correct some of those immunological defects, including some "autoimmune" diseases. It is established that DHEA protects against cancer, but it isn't yet understood how it does this. It appears to protect against the toxic cancerproducing effects of excess estrogen, but its anti-cancer properties probably involve many other functions. Diabetes can be produced experimentally by certain poisons which kill the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Rabbits were experimentally made diabetic, and when treated with DHEA their diabetes was cured. It was found that the insulin-producing cells had regenerated. Many people with diabetes have used brewer's yeast and DHEA to improve their sugar metabolism. In diabetes, very little sugar enters the cells, so fatigue is a problem. DHEA stimulates cells to absorb sugar and to burn it, so it increases our general energy level and helps to prevent obesity. Young people produce about 12 to 15 milligrams of DHEA per day, and that amount decreases by about 2 mg. per day for every decade after the age of 30. This is one of the reasons that young people eat more without getting fat, and tolerate cold weather better: DHEA, like the thyroid hormone, increases our heat production and ability to burn calories. At the age of 50, about 4 mg. of DHEA per day will usually restore the level of DHEA in the blood to a youthful level. It is important to avoid taking more than needed, since some people (especially if they are deficient in progesterone, pregnenolone, or thyroid) can turn the excess into estrogen or testosterone, and large amounts of those sex hormones can disturb the function of the thymus gland and the liver.

### Source 4 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 44

Ray Peat · Email · Feb 20, 2013

> [DHEA]
>
> **Question:** everydayimshufflin over at [Peatarian](http://www.peatarian.com/?qa=8415/dhea-and-results&show=8484#a8484) I've read that you grew taller on DHEA, is DHEA "safe" to take? What does it do?
>
> **Ray Peat:** It's very common for people in their forties to become deficient in both pregnenolone and DHEA, but occasionally it happens in younger people, usually because of an imbalance of thyroid and estrogen. In women, too much DHEA can have a masculinizing effect, so it's best to work on the diet, or to use pregnenolone, which doesn't lead to an imbalance between progesterone and DHEA, since it turns into either, according to need.
>
> **Question:** How much DHEA is safe to take?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Ten milligrams of DHEA is pretty safe for men, the most common side effects are pimples, oily skin, and sex dreams.
>
> **Question:** How much [DHEA] should a hypothyroid person take?
>
> **Ray Peat:** If your thyroid is very low, you should be cautious with the DHEA, because stress hormones can cause it to turn to estrogen. 5 mg of DHEA taken with a little olive oil or butter can have a noticeable effect on your mood and muscle tone in a few hours.

### Source 5 — Pharmaceutical Compositions Containing Dehydroepiandrosterone and Other Anesthetic Steroids in the Treatment of Arthritis and Other Joint Disabilities

Ray Peat · Patent · 1986

> It is an object of this invention to provide an anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical preparation useful for the treatment of arthritis and lacking undesirable hormonal side effects. It is a further object of this invention to provide such a pharmaceutical preparation in a form suitable for administration locally to the affected joints without requiring injection.
>
> ## Summary of the Invention
>
> The present invention is concerned with compositions and methods of treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, and arthritis associated with psoriasis and with lupus and other auto-immune diseases, and also for treating non-specific joint pain associated with stress or incidental to another ailment, using dehydroepiandrosterone and/or other anesthetic steroids dissolved in an oily vehicle, and preferably administered topically or orally.
>
> ## Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
>
> Arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis and arthritis associated with psoriasis and with lupus, as well as other auto-immune diseases, and non-specific joint pain associated with stress or incidental to another ailment, may be successfully treated by administering to a subject in need of such treatment, including a human patient, an effective amount of an anesthetic steroid, preferably a natural anesthetic steroid having 19 or 21 carbons, more preferably selected from compounds of the formula:
>
> [formula]
>
> wherein R1 is O or OH and R2 is O, OH, or COCH3; and
> which may contain one double bond in ring A and/or ring B.
>
> Examples of such compounds are dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), iso-androsterone, etiocholanolone, progesterone, and pregnenolone.
>
> Combinations of such steroids may be used. When the patient being treated is male, combinations containing testosterone are preferably used.
>
> Compounds considered to be equivalent to the foregoing and also falling within the scope of this invention are steroids of the above-depicted structure having H, methyl, fluorine, or chlorine substituents, as well as easily hydrolyzable esters of all the foregoing.
>
> Suitable pharmaceutical compositions for use according to this invention comprise at least one of the above-described compounds, together with suitable pharmaceutical carriers and/or diluents, preferably the carriers specified in the preferred embodiments described below. In such pharmaceutical compositions, the proportion of therapeutically active to carrier substance can vary between about 199 by weight.

### Source 6 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 520

Ray Peat · Email · Oct 6, 2018

> **Question:** Are there specific type of each test that are better to get? (i.e- DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), Unconjugated, LC/MS/MS or DHEA, s (Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate) Hormone) CORTISOL: (i.e- Total cortisol, from saliva, etc) The labs that I can order from seem to have an assortment of choices that make it more confusing. Thank you
>
> **Ray Peat:** Serum cortisol, not saliva. I think the unconjugated DHEA, rather than DHEAS, is better, if they have the normal range for it, but the DHEAS would be second choice.

### Source 7 — Pansterone — IdeaLabs Cosmetic Ingredient

Georgi Dinkov · Product · Aug 4, 2015 · https://idealabs.ecwid.com/Pansterone-p70230371

> Studies have shown that DHEA can oppose LDL oxidation, plaque formation, cell proliferation, platelet aggregation, and plasminogen activation (see refs.).
>
> -- Low DHEAS associated with functional limitations and mortality in older persons (Berr 1996)
>
> -- DHEA prevents the biomolecular complications of diabetes (Brignardello 2007)
>
> -- In mid-life dysthymia (depression), DHEA works as well as anti-depressants (Bloch, 1999)
>
> -- DHEA enhances insulin sensitivity and lowers triglycerides levels (Casson 1995) (Dhatariya 2005)
>
> -- DHEA supplementation improves natural killer cells numbers and lowers IL-6 (Casson 1993) (Daynes 1993) (Haden 2000)
>
> -- DHEA supplementation reduces IL-10 in lupus patients (Chang 2004)
>
> -- DHEA is an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (Andus 2003), and systemic lupus erythematosis (FDA-approved for this disease, see Petri 2004)
>
> -- “DHEA is more than a more than a simple "diet supplement" or "antiaging product"; rather it should be considered an effective hormonal replacement treatment.” (Genazzani 2001)
>
> -- Anorexics have low DHEA, supplementation improved bone density and mood scores (Gordon 2002)
>
> -- DHEAS levels are lower in autism (Strous, 2005)
>
> -- Most patients with CFS had a serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) deficiency. (Kuratsune 1998)
>
> -- DHEA supplementation improves sexual function in women (Hackbert 2002) (Johannsson 2002)
>
> -- Frail elderly subjects have lower DHEAS and IGF-1 levels than non-frail (Leng 2004)
>
> -- DHEA supplementation markedly increased perceived physical and psychological well-being in older men and women. (Morales 1994)
>
> -- DHEA prevents induced mammary carcinoma in rats, and increases bone mass.
>
> -- No known receptor, no known feedback mechanism—DHEA supplementation does not reduce natural production.
>
> -- DHEAS levels are reduced in chronic inflammatory diseases and DHEA should be given to any patient requiring glucocorticoid treatment for these diseases.

### Source 8 — Bioenergetic Helpline #2: Calcium, Thyroid, DHEA, Precious Metals, Low Cholesterol, Moving Abroad

Danny Roddy · Interview · Dec 6, 2025 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqGwQFOriaY

> **Danny Roddy:** it's harder for me to comment without thyroid i'm an absolutely huge fan of it and as i've gotten older it's been extremely valuable and i remember in my 20s when i would take it it would almost always have a bad effect or alternatively i was just like a mess back then and i didn't know what was happening and maybe i'd blame it for something you know that was related to my digestion or something but uh maybe in the beginning of 2020 i was taking progesterone for like a few weeks then i would stop taking it and then take dhea and then i mix them together and see if i could tell the difference And I could totally tell the addition of the DHA. It almost is like blasphemous, but it seemed like the DHA was more important than the progesterone, you know, and it increased my mood in the morning, like very reliably. It gave me more like a sense of deeper sleep and progesterone helped me get to sleep. And they both seem to synergize with each other on that. And they both improve mood, I think, and the temperature for sure. The There was a few months where I would stop taking it or something in the mornings. I'd seem chillier. And so, yeah, did I think, I think that's an, I mean, I don't know how underrated it is, but I think it's a super valuable supplement. And the only negative thing is I do hear a lot of bad stories about it. And so maybe that's because my, the people I'm talking to are usually in rough states, you know? And a lot of people do take too much. I think if a person were ever to hypothetically take it, they would want to use a tiny amount, like maybe one milligram. I wouldn't even go up to five until they were positive they did really well with it. So like extreme caution is warranted, especially if a person feels like high estrogen and they're nonstop rumination, like they're real up, they, they have sleep problems, uh, they're real aggressive or, uh, or their inner monologue does not shut up, you know?

### Source 9 — Your Own Health And Fitness: Nutrition And The Endocrine System

Ray Peat · Interview · Feb 11, 1997 · http://l-i-g-h-t.com/files/your-own-health-and-fitness-nutrition-and-the-endocrine-system.mp4

> **Layna Berman:** We only have about 2 or 3 minutes, but and it's terrible to do this in the last seconds of the show but I wanted to say something about pregnenolone and DHEA mostly when you like using these it's when people that are over 50 when the levels of DHEA decrease. If someone tests, their test DHEA levels, if it is low should you not try pregnenolone first since it is the beginning of the chain in the pathway of hormones?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, pregnenolone is essentially always safe, it starts the stress reaction and whether you have, for example, Cushing's syndrome with too much cortisone or Addison's disease with too little pregnenolone like progesterone will put you right down the middle and correct whatever is wrong and it is protective even if it isn't correcting a disease process and it will very often correct the DHEA level, but I interpret the blood tests or saliva tests of DHEA really as indicating more about liver function than about your need or actual tissue levels of the DHEA without doing a tissue biopsy, I don't think there is any clear way to evaluate your DHEA status and it is better just to correct everything else.

### Source 10 — Learned Helplessness KMUD 2013

Ray Peat · Interview · 2013 · http://www.l-i-g-h-t.com/files/herb-doctors-learned-helplessness-nervous-system-and-thyroid-questionaire.mp4

> **Andrew Murray:** It's a kind of a rabbit hole that is unfortunately clouded by a lot of money.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Some of the changes with aging, besides high blood pressure...for example, incontinence and edema, swelling up of the extremities, constipation (or at least, slow movement of the digestive system), leakiness of blood vessels, letting fluids swell out and then sluggishness of the lymphatic system allowing the edema to accumulate: these things are all able to be produced and relieved by either increasing or decreasing the amount of nitric oxide in the system. So, an excess of the cholinergic function, leading to overproduction of nitric oxide will cause constipation, incontinence, swelling of the feet. Just about all of the typical symptoms of aging, stress and shock, and so on.
>
> **Andrew Murray:** And they’re all alleviated by thyroid and progesterone, isn't it? As they are kind of opposites.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yah.
>
> **Andrew Murray:** Another question that I have: A person I spoke about is wanting to use DHEA; and on the bottle of the DHEA they gave a warning about possibly increasing estrogen. I think this is very similar to what you are saying about the stress-induced excitotoxic effects. The estrogen itself possibly would be produced in persons taking DHEA if they are under stress. If they weren't under stress, if they are using progesterone, had adequate thyroid, their diet was good, there's fruit sugar in their diet and they had enough metabolic energy, they wouldn't produce estrogen from DHEA because of that?

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