Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone made by the adrenal gland. It helps produce different hormones, akin to testosterone and estrogen, and it counteracts the demanding results of cortisol. “DHEA is the antiaging hormone,” says integrative and purposeful nutritionist Cindi Lockhart, RDN, LD, IFNCP. Ranges peak round age 25 after which begin to naturally decline.
Extended stress can result in “adrenal fatigue,” or dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which dysregulates the physique’s manufacturing of cortisol.
“When girls are tremendous confused, they’ll have excessive cortisol, and perhaps an upregulation of DHEA to assist them meet the calls for of the stress,” explains naturopathic doctor and licensed acupuncturist Laurie Steelsmith, ND, MS, LAc, coauthor of Nice Intercourse, Naturally. “However then they’ll develop exhausted adrenal glands, which is able to then end in low DHEA.” (For extra on adrenal well being, see “Reset Your Stress Response.”)
What does this imply for libido? Testosterone stimulates the libido in each women and men. As a result of DHEA is a precursor to testosterone, low ranges can result in decrease “T” and suppressed sexual urge for food.
How one can Complement With DHEA:
Numerous exams can gauge DHEA ranges in urine, saliva, and blood. Customary ranges differ by age and intercourse, so seek the advice of with a healthcare practitioner to interpret outcomes. Low ranges could be supplemented with tablets, sublingual tablets or liquids, or topical preparations — although due to the potential for uncomfortable side effects and medicine interactions, it’s vital to take DHEA dietary supplements solely after a dialogue with a educated healthcare supplier.
Steelsmith advises in opposition to self-medicating with DHEA as a result of it’s so potent: “I’ve seen girls taking means an excessive amount of DHEA as an over-the-counter capsule and struggling uncomfortable side effects like zits.”
DHEA can also be a precursor to estrogen, so taking an excessive amount of generally is a threat issue for hormone-related circumstances and cancers, Lockhart provides. She recommends working with a educated practitioner and testing ranges each three months for anybody supplementing with DHEA.
For her low-libido sufferers, Steelsmith suggests DHEA lotions, which could be utilized on to the vulva and vagina. “It helps with the integrity of that tissue when hormone ranges are waning [in perimenopause and menopause] and girls are beginning to expertise extra vaginal dryness, thinning, and atrophy,” she notes. There are additionally some topical DHEA lotions for males that may be utilized on thin-skinned components of the physique.
For oral doses, Lockhart recommends beginning low — about 5 mg per day for girls and 10 for males — and rising as vital. “It is a short-term product,” she provides. “You wouldn’t wish to take DHEA [in the] long run.”
This was excerpted from “How one can Use Diet to Enhance Your Libido” which was printed in Expertise Life.
