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Previous Volume 355:1647-1659 October 19, 2006 Number 16 Next

	Full Text PDF PDA Full Text PowerPoint Slide Set Supplementary Material Editorial by Stewart, P. M. Letters Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited E-mail When Letters Appear PubMed Citation

ABSTRACT

Background Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone are widely promoted as antiaging supplements, but the long-term benefits, as compared with potential harm, are unknown.

Methods We performed a 2-year, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study involving 87 elderly men with low levels of the sulfated form of DHEA and bioavailable testosterone and 57 elderly women with low levels of sulfated DHEA. Among the men, 29 received DHEA, 27 received testosterone, and 31 received placebo. Among the women, 27 received DHEA and 30 received placebo. Outcome measures included physical performance, body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), glucose tolerance, and quality of life.

Results As compared with the change from baseline to 24 months in the placebo group, subjects who received DHEA for 2 years had an increase in plasma levels of sulfated DHEA by a median of 3.4 µg per milliliter (9.2 µmol per liter) in men and by 3.8 µg per milliliter (10.3 µmol per liter) in women. Among men who received testosterone, the level of bioavailable testosterone increased by a median of 30.4 ng per deciliter (1.1 nmol per liter), as compared with the change in the placebo group. A separate analysis of men and women showed no significant effect of DHEA on body-composition measurements. Neither hormone altered the peak volume of oxygen consumed per minute, muscle strength, or insulin sensitivity. Men who received testosterone had a slight increase in fat-free mass, and men in both treatment groups had an increase in BMD at the femoral neck. Women who received DHEA had an increase in BMD at the ultradistal radius. Neither treatment improved the quality of life or had major adverse effects.

Conclusions Neither DHEA nor low-dose testosterone replacement in elderly people has physiologically relevant beneficial effects on body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or quality of life. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00254371 [ClinicalTrials.gov] .)

Source Information

From the Division of Endocrinology (K.S.N., R.A.R., K.D., K.R.S., A.B., R.B., S.K., M.D.J.) and the Departments of Health Sciences Research (P.O., L.J.M.), Urology (A.N., D.J.T.), Medicine (J.L.V.), Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (G.G.K.), and Psychology (G.E.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and the Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy (C.C., G.T., C.D.M.).

Drs. Khosla and Jensen contributed equally to this article.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Nair at the Division of Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, 5-194 Joseph, Rochester, MN 55905, or at nair.sree{at}mayo.edu.

Full Text of this Article

Related Letters:

DHEA and Testosterone in the Elderly
Page S. T., Matsumoto A. M., Bremner W. J., Yasuda M., Horie S., Perls T. T., Gleicher N., Barad D., Nair K. S., Smith G.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2007; 356:635-637, Feb 8, 2007. Correspondence

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