He also goes on to warn that certain antioxidants, namely betacarotine, might increase the risk of cancer in those individuals who are at high risk for developing this disease. It is released from the zona reticularus of the adrenals after birth, increasing throughout puberty until maximum serum levels are reached in the third decade of life. This is contrasted with the cortisol secretion, which is maintained throughout life. This is further confounded by the loss of receptors for DHEA that arise with aging such that there is an irreversible process rapidly overcoming any attempts to enhance the immune system. The Center for Disease Control reports that infections are the fifth most common cause of death in the elderly.
Most common infections are viral and bacterial.
This vulnerability is most likely linked to deterioration in the immune system called immunosenescence. Immunosenescence due to the accumulation of chromosomal damage and induction of gene products that inhibit cell-cycle progression. The goal now is to map underlying cellular and molecular changes and develop ways to stop the deterioration of the immune system or to beef up this system so that deterioration does not take place. Antioxidants are not the final answer, but may have a part in immune stimulation, increasing the body's capacity to respond to antigens. DHEA may play a functional role in the maintenance of an immune competent state, reversing some aspects of immunosenescence.