Your Hormones and you...
Hormone Therapy
With age, scientists have observed a variety of declining performance in the body's ten leading body systems. These changes, although they may have, until now, been considered "natural," no longer need to be considered inevitable. The following area offers information on hormones and hormone therapy that may be used to expand the number of years that comprise the human life span, while, at the same time, enhance the quality of that human life.
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DHEA
About DHEA
DHEA has been dubbed the "mother of all hormones." DHEA is the most abundant steroid in the human body and is involved in the manufacture of testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and corticosterone. The decline of DHEA with age parallels that of HGH, so by age sixty-five, your body makes only 10 to 20 percent of what it did at age twenty.
By age seventy-five, DHEA levels are only 10 to 20 percent of what they were at age twenty.
DHEA is produced by the adrenal glands. Production of DHEA is high even when the fetus is still developing. Our body's DHEA levels continue to rise up to about age twenty-five, when production drops off sharply. As with melatonin and human growth hormone (HGH), falling levels of DHEA are closely associated with a number of age-related diseases and disabilities. Scientists speculate that if aging men and women can restore their DHEA to youthful levels, their youthful health and vigor will also be restored.
According to Dr. Samuel Yen, reproductive endocrinologist and principal investigator of a DHEA study at the University of California at San Diego, DHEA is "a drug that may help people age more gracefully." When taking DHEA, 82 percent of women and 67 percent of men scored higher tests rating their ability to cope with stress, their quality of sleep, and their basic well-being. Only 10 percent of the group not receiving the hormone reported feeling any better.
Small amounts of DHEA were found to lessen amnesia and enhance long-term memory in mice. Even very low levels of DHEA supplementation may increase the number of neurons in the brain as well as prevent neuronal loss and/or damage.
If DHEA decreases with age, increasing our levels later in life may be the answer. Dr. William Regelson, a medical oncologist at Virginia Commonwealth University's medical college, agrees: "If you want to maintain a youthful level of health, then you have to be youthful physiologically and that means maintaining youthful levels of these hormones [DHEA]."
In animal studies, DHEA has been shown to be useful for fighting obesity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, heart disease, stress, and infectious disease. In other words, it is an all around anti-aging drug. It extends life of laboratory animals by as much as 50 percent. Mice given the hormone look younger and healthier, maintaining the glossiness and coat color of their youth. It may have a life-extending effect in humans as well, although not as great as was originally reported in a study that now spans nearly nineteen years. In 1987, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor and associates at the University of California in San Diego reported a 70 percent drop in mortality from heart disease in men with high DHEA levels. However, a 1995 follow-up study of the same group found only a 20 percent drop in deaths when compared with those who had low DHEA levels. Higher DHEA levels did not protect women at risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
A 1998 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that, out of a group of men between ages sixty and eighty, those with the highest levels of DHEA were younger and leaner, more fit, and had higher testosterone levels than those who were lower in DHEA. However, no such differences were found in women of the same age group between those with the highest and lowest levels of DHEA.
Clinical Update on Benefits of DHEA
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) along with its form as a sulfate ester (DHEA-S) that serves as a reservoir for DHEA itself, are weak androgens produced primarily by the adrenal gland. Combined, DHEA and DHEA-S are the most abundant adrenal hormones found in human plasma.
The peak plasma levels of DHEA and DHEA-S occur at approximately age 25 years, decrease progressively thereafter, and diminish by 95 per cent around the age of 85 years.
The decline of DHEA-S concentrations with aging has led to the suggestion that DHEAS could play a role in itself and be implicated in longevity:
- Epidemiological evidence has shown that adult men with high plasma DHEA-S levels are less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
- DHEA has also been shown to increase the body's ability to transform food into energy and burn off excess fat.
- Recently, researchers discovered important anti-inflammatory properties of DHEA. It was known that DHEA can lower the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Since chronic inflammation contributes to the development of the killer diseases of aging, namely ? heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and certain types of cancer, supplementation with DHEA, combined with conventional treatment, has been suggested to be potentially therapeutic for improving the quality of life across a wide range of illnesses.
In February 2004, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) exposed human neural stem cells to DHEA and yielded some of the world's first direct evidence of the biological effects of DHEA on the human nervous system. DHEA significantly increased cellular division in the cells contained in the lab dish, and increased the number of neurons produced by the stem cells by up to 29%. The researchers observed that, of all the steroids to which the lab stem cells were exposed, DHEA was the only one to have such a direct effect on stem cell growth and new neuron formation. This new research suggests that DHEA may moderate the production of new brain cells as we age, and when taken collectively with previous broad research suggesting the role of DHEA in enhancing the brain and memory, an important potential role of DHEA in cognitive dysfunctions such as senile dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, is revealed.
Daily DHEA supplementation has also recently been shown to remedy some of the side effects of menopause. During a year-long study in Italy, 20 menopausal women took 25 milligrams of DHEA. Estrogen, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone increased by between three and four times, while progesterone rose nearly two-fold. Lead researchers Dr. Alessandro Genazzani from the University of Modena (Italy) suggest that one day, DHEA may replace hormone replacement therapy (HRT), as this experiment resulted with all women reporting improvements in menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, without any side effects of any kind.
DHEA recently has also been found to reduce risk factors associated with age-related heart disease. DHEA improves blood vessels by stimulating the linings of arteries to produce nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes arterial tension. In a Japanese study of 24 men, average age 54, with elevated cholesterol, Kumamoto University School of Medicine researchers found that 25 mg of DHEA daily benefited endothelial function (flexibility of arteries), insulin sensitivity, and fibrinolytic activity, with changes taking place as early as within four weeks of supplementation.
DHEA for men and women, in youth or in older age, can be considered as a safe, multi-modal anti-aging supplement promoting quality of life and increasing the odds of living longer lives.
References:
"'Anti-ageing' hormone found to boost brain cell growth," NutraIngredients.com, Feb. 19, 2004.
"DHEA, another HRT alternative?," Nutraingredients.com, Jan. 23, 2004.
"DHEA could protect against onset of heart disease," Nutraingredients.com, July 28, 2003.
Leowattana, W. "DHEA: The fountain of youth." J-Med-Assoc-Thai. 2001 Oct; 84 Suppl 2: S605-12 0125-2208
Melatonin
About Melatonin
Melatonin is produced in the dark, while we sleep, and wanes upon daybreak: bright light signals the production cycle to shut down. It is secreted by the pineal gland, a small organ set behind and between the eyes. The pineal is called the "third eye," a reference to our evolutionary heritage-a time when the pineal may have extended the sensory capacities. The pineal gland serves as the timekeeper of the brain, helping to govern the sleep-wake cycle and, in animals, seasonal rhythms of migration, mating, and hibernation. In the human population, melatonin levels are highest in children.
Melatonin is made from an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid-we can get it only from the foods that we ingest. The tryptophan we consume during the day is converted into serotonin, a brain chemical involved with mood. Serotonin, in turn, is converted into melatonin.
WHAT MELATONIN DOES
Although research on melatonin has been ongoing since its discovery in 1958, it is only recently it has attracted high interest. Why? Research breakthroughs over the past decade have revealed some startling properties of this amazing substance:
Studies by immunologist Dr. Walter Pierpaoli of the Biancalana-Masera Foundation for the Aged in Ancona, Italy, and various colleagues have shown that melatonin treatments extended the life span of mice by as much as 25 percent. Moreover, mice that had been treated with melatonin not only lived longer, they also appeared younger, healthier, more vigorous, and sexually rejuvenated.
Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans have done studies suggesting that melatonin can stop or retard the growth of human breast cancer cells. Cancer specialists in Milan have added melatonin treatments to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in their treatment of cancer patients. They have found that such patients experienced tumor regression, in addition to living longer and suffering from fewer side effects than patients who received chemotherapy and immunotherapy alone.
Studies suggest that melatonin may be a kind of "natural" sleeping pill, inducing sleep without suppressing REM (dream) sleep and without producing side effects, such as those caused by sedatives and other artificial sleep aids.
Travelers have found that by using melatonin they can "reset their biological clocks" after flying across one or more time zones. Numerous studies have confirmed melatonin's efficacy in combating jet lag and restoring restful sleep patterns.
Melatonin may help to prevent heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. (Interestingly, melatonin seems to have no such effect on those with normal cholesterol.)
In a study conducted by the Medical University of Lodz (Poland) in April 2002, women between ages sixty-four and eighty years took melatonin at bedtime for six months, and were found to have a slight but significant increase in IGF-1 and an increased level of DHEA.
New research suggests that melatonin may be effective in combating, treating, or preventing AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, asthma, cataracts, diabetes, and Down's syndrome. Some scientists also believe that it may be the basis of a new estrogen-free birth control pill that combats breast cancer at the same time that it prevents conception.
Studies conducted by pioneering University of Texas melatonin researcher Dr. Russel Reiter show melatonin to be the most potent scavenger of free radicals-unstable molecules that promote cancer and heart disease by damaging DNA, cells, and tissue.
Progesterone
About Progesterone
When Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) was first put into practice, estrogen was generally prescribed alone. Doctors later discovered that it was more effective and often safer in combination with progesterone.
Progesterone is the gestational hormone that prepares the lining of the uterus for the fertilized ovum and maintains pregnancy. It is derived primarily from the corpus luteum that is formed in the ovary from the ruptured follicle. It is also produced in the placenta during pregnancy and in small amounts by the adrenal cortex. Progesterone is a "precursor" hormone. This means that it can be converted by the body into other steroid hormones.
Artificially produced progesterone or progestins are synthetic hormones that closely resemble the body's own production of progesterone, but differ in important ways. Both natural and synthetic hormones share the ability to sustain the lining of the vagina and uterus but progestins do not have the full range of biological activity of natural progesterone. Progestin has actually been shown to inhibit biosynthesis of progesterone.
Some doctors now believe that progestin is responsible for a long list of side effects. And since many women who are engaged in hormone replacement therapy are filling their prescriptions with synthetic progesterone, they are exposing themselves to unnecessary risks.
According to Dr. David G. Williams, progestin can cause abnormal menstrual flow or cessation, fluid retention, nausea, insomnia, jaundice, depression, fever, weight fluctuations, allergic reactions, and the development of male characteristics. Natural progesterone, on the other hand, has few side effects: occasionally it may cause a feeling of euphoria, and, for some women, it may alter the timing of their menstrual cycles.
Dr. Williams recommends that women begin by taking vitamin supplements to increase their own production of progesterone. Animal studies suggest that beta-carotene can stimulate the production of this vital hormone. Likewise, a daily dose of 150 IU of vitamin E can raise progesterone levels; however, dosages of 300 to 600 IU of vitamin E can actually lower levels of the hormone.
San Francisco nutritionist Linda Ojeda advocates dietary sources of estrogen and progesterone: soybean products such as tofu, miso, and soymilk. These products contain phytoestrogens, which have different levels of estrogenic activity. Women who are reluctant to take synthetic estrogens may consider phytoestrogens as an alternative therapeutic agent. Ojeda points out that Japanese women experience a very low rate of menopausal complaints, which she attributes to their high consumption of soybeans.
For women who want more, Dr. Williams recommends natural progesterone. Unfortunately, natural hormone supplements are hard to come by, since drug companies cannot patent them and therefore are not interested in selling them commercially. Cream extracted from the Mexican wild yam (Dioscorea mexicana) has long been recognized as a natural source of estrogen and progesterone. Dioscorea is not a hormone. It is the food for hormone production in the body, and because of its effect on DHEA, it affects the production of all hormones, not only estrogen and progesterone. Products made from the ovaries of cows may help a woman who still has her ovaries to raise her own progesterone levels. Other alternatives are creams containing plant-derived estrogens and progesterones.
Dr. Julian Whitaker, medical director of the Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California, also points to the importance of progesterone in treating menopause: "Estrogen slows down the leaching of calcium from the bone, but does not facilitate deposition of calcium in the bone to strengthen it. Progesterone does that, and given by itself, will not only prevent osteoporosis, but will even reverse it."
Like Dr. Williams, Dr. Whitaker recommends natural, topical hormone creams for both progesterone and estrogen supplements. He cites the work of Dr. John Lee, who treated a group of 100 patients over six years with transdermal ("through the skin") natural progesterone only. Lee's patients experienced no significant side effects while enjoying increased bone density and strength.
Testosterone
About Testosterone
Just as estrogen and progesterone are the female sex hormones, testosterone is the male sex hormone (although women have testosterone levels one-tenth to one-twelfth those of men). Testosterone is the main hormone produced in the testicles and secreted by the testes.
The major effects of testosterone are:
promotes libido, aggressiveness, and sexual desire;
stimulates the growth of certain organs;
promotes protein anabolism, that is, the use of protein to build muscle, skin, and bone, and militates against protein catabolism, or breakdown;
stimulates sperm production;
nourishes all the tissues of the male urinary and reproductive systems;
regulates the production of prostaglandin, which seems to keep prostate growth under control.
The effects of testosterone are most pronounced during puberty. It brings on the enlarged larynx, thicker vocal cords, new body hair, increased muscle mass, and increased oil-gland secretion by the skin commonly associated with puberty. After puberty, levels of testosterone drop gradually in men, with profound effects on physical health and well-being and particularly on mood and libido.
Some males suffer when their bodies produce insufficient levels of testosterone, resulting in a condition called hypogonadism. Hypogonadism can be caused by ailments of the testes, such as testicular injury or infection, Klinefelter's syndrome (a chromosomal abnormality), and/or from disorders of the pituitary and hypothalamus glands.
Dr. Anthony Karpas, director of the Institute for Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine in Atlanta, believes that the condition is under-diagnosed. He states, "As many as 20 percent of men over age 50 may be hypogonadal."
Some telltale signs of hypogonadism are:
loss of sex drive/inability to maintain an erection
fatigue
irritability
depressed mood
aches and pains in the joints
dry skin
osteoporosis
loss of weight
absence or regression of secondary sexual characteristics, such as muscle development, deep voice, and hair distribution on the chest and face
Testosterone production is affected by a number of external factors, such as illness, medications, psychological state, obesity, exercise, and lifestyle (smoking and excessive alcohol intake). Factors such as reduced activity, nutritional deficiency, diabetes, and growth hormone deficiency can also contribute to lower levels.
Thyroid Hormone
About Thyroid Hormone
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck, over the trachea, or windpipe, just below the larynx. Despite its tiny stature, the thyroid has tremendous responsibilities, as it is the gland that affects virtually all metabolic processes. It does this by releasing certain hormones, which in turn regulate the body's metabolism, temperature, and heart rate. If the thyroid is not functioning at its optimal level, neither are you.
The following are some of the most common symptoms of thyroid deficiency, also known as hypothyroidism. Many of them will sound to you like physical maladies that are supposed to be expected and tolerated as old age approaches:
fatigue and general loss of energy; moving more slowly
weakness
susceptibility to colds, viruses, and respiratory ailments
heavy, labored breathing
muscle cramps
persistent low back pain
bruising easily
mental sluggishness, poor memory
headache
emotional instability-crying jags, mood swings, easily upset, temper tantrums, and the like; more easily made nervous or anxious
getting cold easily, particularly in the hands and feet
dry, coarse, or leathery skin; pale skin
coarse hair and/or loss of hair
brittle nails
loss of appetite
stiff joints; mild arthritis
reduced interest in or energy for sex
atherosclerosis (arteries clogged with fat, or plaque, leading to other cardiovascular problems)
decrease in heart contractility; that is, the heart doesn't pump blood with sufficient force, leading to insufficient circulation, particularly to the brain
The detection of hypothyroidism is especially important for older individuals. One study found that in a population of elderly people, ages sixty and over, all of whom belonged to a particular senior citizens' center, 5.9 percent suffered from hypothyroidism. Another study, published in 1993 in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, found a noticeable decrease of thyroid activity and a very low prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in healthy centenarians (people who are 100 years old or older).
Despite its prevalence in older individuals, hypothyroidism is one of the most overlooked conditions in those sixty and over. In fact, telltale symptoms are diagnosed in as little as 25 percent of elderly hypothyroid patients. In one instance, laboratory confirmations of hypothyroid patients were compared with these individuals' initial clinical examinations. The results? Only 10 percent of people with the disease were properly diagnosed in their primary clinical examination.
Some studies indicate that as many as 15 percent of people over age sixty have subclinical hypothyroidism. Which is to say, while they are, indeed, victims of hypothyroidism, their symptoms are too vague or too mild to yield a proper diagnosis. Thus, they continue to suffer without appropriate diagnosis or treatment.
Of course, it's possible that these symptoms may be the inevitable outcome of the aging process-but they are far more likely to result from a combination of low thyroid and nutritional deficiencies.
Correcting hypothyroidism can restore your energy, endurance, body heat, sexuality, mental vigor, and emotional resilience. It can boost resistance to colds and other respiratory conditions, protect against heart and arterial disease, and raise your defenses against cancer. Restoring the proper levels of thyroid hormone can even make your hair, skin, and nails smoother, stronger, and healthier.
The failure of physicians to diagnose underactive thyroid (T4 disease) is at epidemic proportions, and grossly compromises the quality of self-perceived health of those patients.
* These statements have not been endorsed or studied by the FDA. Therfore, no medical advice of treatment of disease, treatment therefore is being supported by these statements.
