Hormones are well-known for their astounding ability to make our lives better or worse. They’re markers in our bodies that can either provide us with energy, or leave us feeling sluggish and out of it. They have a variety of different functions, from regulating fertility to stress.
One of the most common hormones is Testosterone, which is highly coveted by bodybuilders and athletes. This hormone helps to improve athletic performance while building more muscle mass.
However, there is a newer hormone that many in the athletic community have been focused on in recent years: DHEA. If you have heard of DHEA, then you might have heard the claims that come along with it. Many supplement companies claim that this specific hormone works miracles and is readily available in supplement form. But how do you know if supplementing with DHEA is for you?
In this article, we’re going to discuss what DHEA is, what it specifically does, and how it affects the body. We’re also going to discuss some major benefits of supplementing DHEA while recommending some of the best DHEA products and brands out in the market.
Let’s get started!
What Is DHEA?
DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a hormone that is produced by your body naturally that stimulates and interacts with other hormones in your body. DHEA is safe and a natural hormone that is a popular supplement that is said to have a lot of benefits, including from increasing your natural hormone profile, great vitality, more muscle mass, stronger joints, and bones.
We will discuss those benefits in a little while, but before we do, let’s discuss more what DHEA is and how it works specifically in the body.
How Does DHEA work?
DHEA is a hormone that can turn into different types of hormones that your body needs. What this means is some of it gets converted to male and female hormones, mainly testosterone and estrogen. However, usually, the body is pretty smart at regulating hormones naturally, and some of the DHEA is used to enhance cell proliferation, which affects your skin, bones, muscle, and hair.
But just like the other prominent male and female sex hormones, the production of DHEA along with other hormones associated with youth and vitality usually peaks at puberty and starts to decrease naturally as you age.
This is the main reason why oral supplementation of DHEA is highly recommended. This is also important due to the fact that little to no DHEA levels present in the body could result in a number of degenerative diseases that can be life-threatening.
There have also been studies that prove a reduction of DHEA levels, especially in adulthood, has been associated with early mortality, heart diseases, and other mood problems such as Depression.
It is important to supplement DHEA daily. It is also important to take note that there are no reported side effects of consuming DHEA, although it is essential to follow and consume the right amount of DHEA as seen on the label, it is also important to consult your doctor first to have a hormonal profile check on you before you consume any DHEA supplement.
Also, it is important to take note that consuming more than 50 mg of DHEA could result in potential and unwanted side effects like greasy skin, acne, and clogged pores.
Benefits Of DHEA
There are many benefits to consuming DHEA. We will discuss the most commonly experienced benefits while providing you with some recommended brands of DHEA that are of high-quality but still at reasonable prices.
1. DHEA consumption has been linked to overall vitality and fewer chances of developing any diseases.
Consuming DHEA in oral tablets has been shown to improve energy levels of individuals over the age of 30; this might be because DHEA directly increases testosterone and estrogen levels in men and women, which have a positive impact on their overall mood and even libido.
Self-reported consumption of DHEA is described by higher levels of energy, greater mood, and less depressive thoughts and emotions, and a generally better outlook in life. Studies also show daily intake of DHEA decreases your chances of getting degenerative diseases, heart diseases, and mood problems, truly a wonderful prohormone that assures efficacy and safety.
2. DHEA may increase bone strength and density.
DHEA has been shown to have a direct impact on the strength of the intramuscular bones and joints, usually due to aging and lower hormonal profile bone density decreases as you age.
However, it is still relatively unclear whether it’s the aging part or the lower levels of DHEA that result in lower bone density; nevertheless, supplementing DHEA is associated with stronger bones.
Furthermore, DHEA supplementation has been shown to decrease the risk of bone fractures and crickets. There has been research supporting this idea and also shows that consuming DHEA for one or two years can significantly improve bone density in older women but not in older men.
3. DHEA may not increase muscle mass; it still has a positive impact on testosterone levels, which has a direct impact on muscle mass and strength.
A lot of fitness junkies might think that this prohormone directly impacts muscle size and growth; research says otherwise.
The majority of studies concluded that DHEA supplementation may not increase muscle growth or performance. DHEA can increase testosterone levels in men, which may affect muscle size. If you’re focused on building mass and improving gym performance, don’t rely on DHEA, instead try to lift heavy, eat the right foods and sleep well, you’ll do just fine.
4. DHEA improves fertility and libido.
Daily supplementation of DHEA improves the overall function of female and male reproductive organs, especially those who suffer from impaired fertility and lack of libido.
Men and women can benefit from this benefit, especially those who are trying to conceive a child. This can be directly correlated to the increase of male and female hormones, respectively.
Men have also reported better erection and an overall increase in their sexual function, although it is important to take note that greater benefits were experienced in individuals with already existing sexual problems.
Recommended DHEA Brands
There are many brands and companies offering you DHEA supplements; nonetheless, you should always take and buy the ones that are of high-quality and free from any toxic chemicals, whether while it being of reasonable price.
Here are some of the recommended DHEA supplements you can purchase online:
21st Century DHEA
A great product by the 21st century offering 25 mg of DHEA oral capsule, one box contains 90 capsules all at a cheap price!
GET THE BEST PRICE ON 21ST CENTURY DHEALife Extension DHEA
Life Extension is a well-known supplement company. They have produced many supplements from Life Extension Optimized Quercetin to Life Extension Migra-Eeze to this supplement, Life Extension DHEA. This is another viable product that comes with great quality control and is proven and tested to be effective. One capsule contains 25mg of DHEA, and one box contains 100 capsules.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON LIFE EXTENSION DHEAEnzymatic Therapy, Youthful You, DHEA
If you want DHEA’s subtle health benefits, you can try this one! With one capsule only containing just about 5 mg of DHEA, great product, one box contains 60 veg capsules!
GET THE BEST PRICE ON ENZYMATIC THERAPY YOUTHFUL YOU DHEA
