Operational Stress and Resilience Program, Aeromedical Research Directorate, Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, Pensacola, FL 32508, USA.
Stress. 2012 Jan;15(1):85-96. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2011.585189. Epub 2011 Jul 26.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) are anabolic prehormones involved in the synthesis of testosterone. Both have been shown to exert neuroprotective effects during stress. In this randomized, controlled, double-blind field study, we examined the effects of a 12-day DHEA regimen on stress indices in military men undergoing survival training. Forty-eight men were randomized to either a DHEA treatment group or placebo control group. The treatment group received 50 mg of oral DHEA supplementation daily for 5 days during classroom training followed by 7 days of 75 mg during stressful field operations. Control subjects received identical placebo pills. Salivary assays (DHEA[S], testosterone, and cortisol) were conducted at four time points: distal pre-stress (T1), proximal pre-stress (T2), mock-captivity stress (T3), and 24 h recovery (T4). Subjective distress was also assessed at T1, T3, and T4. As expected, DHEA treatment resulted in higher salivary concentrations of DHEA and DHEAS during daily living, mock-captivity stress, and recovery. Similar patterns were observed for salivary markers of anabolic balance: DHEA/cortisol, DHEAS/cortisol, and testosterone/cortisol concentration ratios. Despite notable time effects, no group differences emerged for subjective distress. A brief, low dose DHEA regimen yielded large increases in salivary DHEA(S) concentrations and enhanced anabolic balance throughout sustained military stress. These physiological changes did not extrapolate to subjective distress.
脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）和硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）是参与睾酮合成的合成代谢前体激素。两者都已被证明在应激期间具有神经保护作用。在这项随机、对照、双盲现场研究中，我们研究了 12 天 DHEA 治疗方案对接受生存训练的军人应激指标的影响。48 名男性随机分为 DHEA 治疗组或安慰剂对照组。治疗组在课堂训练期间每天口服 50 毫克 DHEA 补充剂 5 天，然后在应激野外作业期间每天口服 75 毫克 7 天。对照组服用相同的安慰剂丸。唾液检测（DHEA[S]、睾酮和皮质醇）在四个时间点进行：远端应激前（T1）、近端应激前（T2）、模拟囚禁应激（T3）和 24 小时恢复（T4）。在 T1、T3 和 T4 还评估了主观不适。如预期的那样，DHEA 治疗导致日常活动、模拟囚禁应激和恢复期间唾液中 DHEA 和 DHEAS 的浓度升高。对于合成代谢平衡的唾液标志物，也观察到类似的模式：DHEA/皮质醇、DHEAS/皮质醇和睾酮/皮质醇浓度比。尽管存在明显的时间效应，但两组之间的主观不适没有差异。短暂的低剂量 DHEA 方案导致唾液 DHEA（S）浓度大幅增加，并在持续的军事应激期间增强了合成代谢平衡。这些生理变化并没有推断到主观不适。
