[Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Adrenopause and DHEA replacement therapy].

It is well known that serum levels of DHEA and its sulfate form DHEA-S decline along with aging. This phenomenon is called adrenopause in contrast to menopause. Experimental studies show that DHEA has many beneficial effects such as anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-osteoporosis effects. Therefore, DHEA replacement has been performed as anti-aging therapy. Several clinical trials of DHEA replacement demonstrated the improvement of sense of well-being, lipid metabolism, and bone metabolism. We recently reported on the result of short-term administration of DHEA in healthy Japanese volunteer men. It is thought that further accumulation of original data is necessary to promote DHEA replacement therapy in Japan.