Wolf O T, Neumann O, Hellhammer D H, Geiben A C, Strasburger C J, Dressendörfer R A, Pirke K M, Kirschbaum C
Center for Psychobiological and Psychosomatic Research, University of Trier, Germany.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997 Jul;82(7):2363-7. doi: 10.1210/jcem.82.7.4056.
The levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate ester DHEAS decrease with age after a peak around 25 yr. Animal studies as well as the first studies in humans have generated the idea that DHEA replacement in elderly subjects may have beneficial effects on well-being and cognitive functions. In the present experiment 40 healthy elderly men and women (mean age, 69 yr) participated in a double blind, placebo-controlled DHEA substitution study. For 2 weeks subjects took 50 mg DHEA daily, followed by a 2-week wash-out period and a 2-week placebo period. The treatment sequence was randomized in a cross-over design. After 2 weeks of DHEA or placebo, psychological and physical well-being as well as cognitive performance were assessed using several questionnaires and neuropsychological tests. All subjects had low DHEAS baseline levels. DHEA substitution lead to a 5-fold increase in DHEAS levels in women (from 0.67 +/- 0.1 to 4.1 +/- 0.4 micrograms/mL; P < 0.001) and men (from 0.85 +/- 0.1 to 4.5 +/- 0.4 micrograms/mL; P < 0.001). DHEA, androstenedione, and testosterone levels also increased significantly in both sexes (all P < 0.001). No significant changes were observed in insulin-like growth factor I or insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 levels. DHEA replacement had no strong beneficial effect on any of the measured psychological or cognitive parameters. Only women tended to report an increase in well-being (P = 0.11) and mood (P = 0.10), as assessed with questionnaires. They also showed better performance in one of six cognitive tests (picture memory) after DHEA. However, after Bonferroni alpha adjustment, this difference was no longer significant. No such trend was observed in men (P > 0.20). Likewise, no beneficial effects of DHEA substitution could be observed in any of the other tests of the neuropsychological test battery in either sex (all P > 0.20). In conclusion, the present data do not support the idea of strong beneficial effects of a physiological DHEA substitution on well-being or cognitive performance in healthy elderly individuals.
脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）及其硫酸酯（DHEAS）的水平在25岁左右达到峰值后会随着年龄的增长而下降。动物研究以及人类的初步研究提出了这样一种观点，即老年受试者补充DHEA可能对幸福感和认知功能有有益影响。在本实验中，40名健康的老年男性和女性（平均年龄69岁）参与了一项双盲、安慰剂对照的DHEA替代研究。受试者每天服用50毫克DHEA，持续2周，随后是2周的洗脱期和2周的安慰剂期。治疗顺序采用交叉设计随机安排。在服用DHEA或安慰剂2周后，使用几份问卷和神经心理学测试评估心理和身体幸福感以及认知表现。所有受试者的DHEAS基线水平都较低。DHEA替代使女性的DHEAS水平提高了5倍（从0.67±0.1微克/毫升增至4.1±0.4微克/毫升；P<0.001），男性的DHEAS水平也提高了5倍（从0.85±0.1微克/毫升增至4.5±0.4微克/毫升；P<0.001）。两性的DHEA、雄烯二酮和睾酮水平也显著升高（所有P<0.001）。胰岛素样生长因子I或胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-3水平未观察到显著变化。DHEA替代对任何测量的心理或认知参数均无明显有益影响。仅在问卷调查中，女性倾向于报告幸福感（P=0.11）和情绪（P=0.10）有所增加。服用DHEA后，她们在六项认知测试之一（图片记忆）中的表现也更好。然而，经过Bonferroniα校正后，这种差异不再显著。男性未观察到这种趋势（P>0.20）。同样，在神经心理学测试组的任何其他测试中，两性均未观察到DHEA替代的有益效果（所有P>0.20）。总之，目前的数据不支持生理剂量的DHEA替代对健康老年个体的幸福感或认知表现有显著有益影响这一观点。
