Do DHEA or growth hormone help against ageing, or are they risky?
For healthy older adults without a hormonal disorder, DHEA offers little benefit and is not without risk. If you have a confirmed adrenal function disorder, DHEA can be useful, but always under medical supervision.
DHEA as an anti-ageing agent in healthy older adults has produced little in controlled studies. Research in healthy people aged 60 and over using doses of 50–100 mg per day showed almost no consistent positive effects over a maximum of one year. The great DHEA hype is largely based on animal research: impressive protective effects have been found in rodents, but rodents naturally have almost no DHEA in their blood. That makes those findings barely applicable to humans.
There is one group for whom DHEA does offer a clear benefit: people with genuine adrenocortical insufficiency, in which the body produces little to no DHEA on its own. In this group, double-blind studies show improvements in mood, well-being, sexual satisfaction and bone density. This is the best-supported application. In postmenopausal women without such a deficiency, oral DHEA does not work consistently, but vaginal DHEA can help with vaginal dryness.
For sexual function, the picture is nuanced. In women with adrenocortical insufficiency (dose of 30–50 mg/day), modest benefits for sexual desire and well-being have been found. In men, DHEA produced no demonstrable benefit in controlled studies.
The risk profile of DHEA should not be underestimated. High or prolonged use of high doses more frequently causes androgenic side effects such as acne, oily skin and excessive hair growth. In addition, there is well-founded concern about a potentially increased risk of hormone-dependent cancers (breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men), although this has not been definitively proven. Low DHEA levels are associated in population studies with more cardiovascular disease and higher mortality, but that does not mean that supplementation reduces those risks.
Growth hormone was not covered in the studies available for this answer, so no statement can be made about it here. If you are considering DHEA because of symptoms or an adrenal function disorder, discuss this with your doctor, as medical supervision is genuinely necessary in that case.
This answer is based on multiple reviews of controlled studies, including double-blind and placebo-controlled trials in both healthy older adults and people with adrenocortical insufficiency. The studies were limited in size (a maximum of 280 participants) and followed participants for at most one year. The researchers themselves noted that the controlled data in healthy older adults are insufficient to support a recommendation. No studies on growth hormone were available.
Does my growth hormone decline with age, and does that matter?
Your growth hormone does indeed decline sharply with age. Reversing that with hormone injections offers little benefit in healthy older adults and carries health risks, including an increased risk of cancer.
Do your hormones influence how quickly you age?
Hormones do influence ageing, but do not control it entirely. Fat distribution, muscle mass and inflammatory processes are all linked to hormonal changes that can be monitored and, to some extent, addressed.
Do male hormones affect how quickly men age?
Declining testosterone measurably accelerates ageing of muscles, bones and sexual function, but the links to mood and skin are far less certain. Testosterone supplementation can relieve some symptoms, but always discuss the risk profile with your doctor before starting.
Does hormone therapy help women age more healthily?
Hormone therapy relieves menopausal symptoms well and shows positive indications for bones and metabolism, but the effects on the heart and brain are uncertain and highly individual. Whether it is worthwhile for you depends strongly on your symptoms, timing and health history: discuss it with your doctor.
What does the stress hormone cortisol do to my ageing?
Chronically elevated cortisol accelerates muscle loss and disrupts your metabolism, and that effect is real. Good sleep and limiting chronic stress are the most concrete tools for keeping it in check.
Can exercise really improve your hormone levels as you get older?
Yes, exercise demonstrably raises several hormone levels in people over 40. The strongest practical benefit lies in muscle preservation: strength training is the most effective approach for that, regardless of which type of training you choose.