It is not part of the diet nor is it found in foods, except in trace amounts in animal tissues. DHEA is the precursor to many other hormones in the body. Long term intake of DHEA increases estrogen and testosterone levels, which may increase risk of hormone-related cancers. Although some anti-aging studies in mice have shown benefits, the doses of DHEA used were enormous. Those results may not transfer to humans because rodents have markedly different levels of circulating DHEA than humans.
Mice also make different corticosteroid hormones from it than do people.
Finally, even if endogenous levels of DHEA turn out to be markers of health, this doesn't necessarily mean a supplement will have a beneficial effect. Now when nutrition news gets confusing, there IS a place to go to get the real story. Our FREE daily email newsletter, Nutrition News Focus, helps you make sense of it all. It's written by Dr. David Klurfeld, Chairman and Professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University. Find out what our readers are saying about us by clicking here.