DHEA is natural ‘feel alive’ hormone, made by glands in your body, similar to CoQ10, but more powerful.

It is responsible for the energy, enthusiasm, health, sexuality and quick clear mind you enjoyed in your youth. It is the most abundant hormone in your body at that prime time of life.

DHEA peaks around age 25 and then steadily declines. More rapidly after age 35 in both men and women. As it declines, so does your youthful vigour, slimness and muscularity, your memory and clarity of mind.

DHEA virtually disappears in your body around age 75. (See graph below)

Pure DHEA can now be made
from a natural plant extract

Until recent years, DHEA could only be obtained at enormous cost. It took the ovaries of 50,000 sows to provide just 20 mg of DHEA, half the 40 mg of pure DHEA in just one capsule of our Health House product. However a natural extract from the Mexican Yam plant can now be modified by a biochemical process to produce an exact copy of natural DHEA.

The benefits are well worth the modest cost. And DHEA is safe and healthy when taken in moderation.

However pure DHEA, when taken in excess, can raise sex hormone levels. It is therefore only available nowadays on a doctor’s prescription.

However our 7-Keto variety of DHEA, which has been slightly modified so as not to affect the stability of your sex hormones, is currently available in New Zealand without a prescription.

DHEA 7-Keto retains full or superior effectiveness in all other regards – youthful energy, weight regulation, enthusiasm, clarity of mind and memory, etc, and is safe and healthy.   In one experiment, mice were trained to negotiate a water maze and were then given DHEA or DHEA 7-Keto. The control mice took 34 seconds to negotiate the maze; those on DHEA took 22 seconds; and those on DHEA 7-Keto took only 7.6 seconds.

You can read the experiences of takers of DHEA 7-Keto below, or click here to go directly to them. These are due to any medicinal effect as DHEA is not a medicine, just the natural youthful immunity of the body being supported by a natural hormone.

Stephen Cherniske MS, leading
DHEA biochemist researcher

Stephen Cherniske MS, a leading DHEA research biochemist and sports nutritionist has spent over 20 years researching and experimenting with DHEA. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on DHEA, and also takes it himself.

He has published over 3000 articles and written an excellent book on his DHEA discoveries called "The DHEA Breakthrough – Look younger, live longer, feel better."

(We also stock this very readable book and highly recommend it.)

Stephen Cherniske MS has found that when a person begins taking DHEA, they start to feel full of vigour and enthusiasm, and actually feel like exercising and eating healthy foods. He calls this combination of taking DHEA of eating well and exercising ‘The DHEA plan.’

He explains in the book how people respond wonderfully. He says, "It doesn’t matter how many candles are on the cake. Your age will be determined by the strength and vitality of your body, the sharpness of your mind, and the passion in your heart."

Experiences from takers of DHEA
reported by Bio-chemist Stephen Cherniske MS

• "A mother of four told me she was back in shape and down to her pre-childbirth weight after feeling beaten down for 15 years."

• "An airline pilot stopped drinking 10 cups of coffee a day, saw his blood pressure drop to normal, and felt like a new man."

• "A woman in her mid-40’s started on the DHEA plan and in two months had dropped four dress sizes, got off anti-depressants, and was feeling better than she had since high school."

• "A 61 year old man told me of going from impotence and depression, to vitality and sexual vigor in 90 days. And the DHEA also gave his 92 year old father a new lease on life."

• "A woman (Janet) reported to her doctor, ‘I’ve got a new lease on life!’ She had increased energy, lost 12 pounds in three months, increased her libido, was more optimistic, had improved sleep, even her sense of smell became more acute."

The shortest and most reliable route to optimum health

Stephen Cherniske reports, “You’ll see what life is like on what I call ‘The Upward Spiral’ where life opens to greater and greater possibilities. A few years ago a physician came into my office and told me his dream was to win a national Triathlon championship. This guy was 33, and a busy doctor. Nevertheless, he crossed the finish line in first place.”

“The DHEA Plan is the shortest and most reliable route to optimum health I’ve ever found. The most prudent advice is to start with a low dose of 10-15 mg a day (this low restriction is not necessary with 7-Keto DHEA), and reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine.

Enjoy energy and passion in your mature years

Stephen Cherniske MS also says, "DHEA can make your later years energetic and passionate. The DHEA Plan will make you feel 20 years younger in a remarkably short period. It will change your life in countless ways."

"The immune profile of an old mouse can be restored to that of a young mouse, simply by feeding the mouse DHEA."

"Maintaining peak levels of DHEA may increase longevity 25% to 50%, and those years be filled with health, instead of pain and suffering. The goal after all is optimal health, a state of being where you begin to feel so good that nothing stops you. It’s the experience of waking up in the morning, feeling energised and excited, of suddenly noticing in the middle of a busy day that you feel terrific."

Sharpen your memory

Stephen Cherniske MS has also found that restoring your natural level of DHEA can sharpen your memory skills. "Imagine having improved memory skills at an age when your parents were starting to forget names and lose car keys. Levels of DHEA in our brain are six times those in any other organ. The psychological and emotional benefits should not be underestimated. You experience at age 50, the enthusiasm and optimistic attitude of your youth. My 80 year old mother takes DHEA and is fit, active, healthy and full of surprises."

He also reports on a group of middle aged and elderly patients with major depression who were given sufficient DHEA to raise their levels to prime peak (30 to 90 mg of DHEA a day). "After four weeks, depression ratings and memory performance were significantly improved in most patients. One woman who did not improve at first, received extended treatment for six months. Her depression ratings improved to 72% and her memory improved 63%."

Dr C. Norman Shealy. MD, Ph.D. reports, "We have never seen a depressed patient with optimal levels of DHEA."

Lose body fat and gain muscle instead

Stephen Cherniske MS also records natural loss of body fat and muscle gain: "Weight loss is a by-product of taking DHEA. It happens automatically. In a landmark study, normal weight human volunteers were given an extremely large 1600 mg dose of DHEA for 28 days. There were no changes in the placebo group, but those taking DHEA showed a mean 31% reduction in body fat, and a significant increase in muscle mass."

"Recently a team of researchers gave 100 mg of DHEA to a group of men in their late 50’s. After only 30 days they documented an astounding 90% increase of IGF-1 (an indicator of muscle growth). Studies with men and women have documented significant IGF-1 stimulation in every group tested."

"You’ve probably never felt the intense joy of being invigorated by exercise. The DHEA plan can change that forever. DHEA is the key, because after age 40 it becomes difficult for women, and even men, to increase muscle mass."

"Men and women given supplemental DHEA for six months showed significant increases in muscle mass without making any changes in diet or exercise. Through the DHEA plan you can achieve your optimum weight with only a moderate reduction in calories."

Is it wrong to turn back your age clock?

Stephen Cherniske MS comments, "Some genuinely feel there is something ethically wrong with turning back the clock. I would argue that there is a difference between longevity and simply postponing death. It’s worth the trouble.

DHEA improves glucose tolerance and helps build muscle. It helps prevent the degeneration of the brain. It can have a powerful effect on the quality of life of anybody over forty."

"Keeping DHEA at or near prime peak levels appears to improve overall immunity, increase energy, decrease body fat, strengthen bones, and decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer. The association of cancer with low DHEA in the body has been reported by more than a dozen authors.

In a study published recently in the Cancer Research journal, investigators exposed mice to a treatment that normally induces breast cancer. 70% of the control group developed breast cancer. But not one animal In the DHEA group developed the disease. DHEA has profound anti-proliferative activity. That is, it works to control abnormal cell growth."

Vastly improved artery and blood health

Artery and blood health is also greatly improved by DHEA, according to this report in the New England Journal of Medicine:

"In one study, human volunteers taking DHEA experienced a remarkable decrease in platelet aggregation. A 100 mcg/l (only about 5%) increase in DHEA blood concentration, corresponded with a 48% reduction in mortality due to cardiovascular disease, and a 36% reduction for any reason." (New England Journal of Medicine. 1986. 315:1519-24.)

Benefits for women

Stephen Cherniske MS reports, “One study of post menopausal women found that DHEA levels were directly related to bone mineral density. In women under 69 years old, there was a striking correlation between DHEA levels and the strength of their bones.”

"Jesse Hanley MD, a woman doctor reports, 'I’ve seen many of my patients with CFIDS (chronic fatigue), Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, adult onset allergies, fatigue or burnout, and weak digestion, to mention a few ailments, heal deeply with DHEA. I use a dose from 5 to 50 mg a day.”

DHEA restored normal insulin activity in mice with Type 2 diabetes

"Researchers have also found that administration of DHEA to diabetic mice could restore insulin activity and literally 'cure' the condition. Definitive work on humans has still not been done."

"In 1995, two studies were conducted with in non-diabetic older women. In both cases, supplementation with 50 mg of DHEA a day produced significant improvements in insulin sensitivity. "

Chronic fatigue and Lupus

"As far as I know, there is no published research on the use of DHEA for chronic fatigue, but many of the physicians I speak to are using it successfully."

"Lupus patients uniformly have low levels of DHEA. A group studied the effects of 200 mg of DHEA in human lupus patients. They reported significant improvements in symptoms and a reduction of steroid drug requirements and restored Interleukin-2 production."

Will it affect the body’s natural production of DHEA?

"On numerous occasions I have seen patients whose natural DHEA levels started to rise after one to two years of feeling good (from taking DHEA)."

"I believe this maybe the result of adrenal healing."

Research chemist Stephen Cherniske's
 personal experience with DHEA

"If you are enjoying significant benefits, you’ll probably want to take DHEA
 for the rest of your life. If we can extrapolate from animal data, that might
 be a very long time. "

"After I raised my DHEA to prime peak, my cholesterol went down to 135 and has stayed at that level for five years."

"My percentage body fat decreased to 9% and has stayed at that level with only moderate amounts of exercise."

"My immune profile has improved almost every year. I have a few more grey hairs, but I’m stronger, faster, leaner, and healthier today at age 50 than I was at 40. "

"These are all very good indications of health and wellness. I feel terrific and I have no intention of stopping DHEA supplementation." Stephen Cherniske MS

How much should I take?

Up to age 35, take one capsule every second day.

Over 35: One capsule daily.

Children: Not required.

The New Zealand  price is $36 for 60 capsules of 40 mg pure, highest grade DHEA (7-Keto). Couriered free.

Click here to buy DHEA (7-Keto) in New Zealand

Read Stephen Cherniske's interesting book

We also stock Stephen Cherniske's very readable book and highly recommend it.  Click here to find out more