Men with low blood levels of DHEA may be at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease events.
The most abundant steroid in the human body, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is involved in the manufacture of testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and corticosterone. Claes Ohlsson, from Sahlgrenska Academy (Sweden), and colleagues monitored 2,614 men, ages 69 to 80 years, who resided in 3 Swedish communities, for five years, during which DHEA levels were assessed. The findings demonstrated that the lower the DHEA level at the study start, the greater the risk of coronary heart disease events during the five-year follow-up. The study authors report that: “Low serum levels of DHEA and its sulfate predict an increased risk of [coronary heart disease], but not [cerebrovascular disease], events in elderly men.”
Asa Tivesten; Liesbeth Vandenput; Daniel Carlzon; Maria Nilsson; Magnus K. Karlsson; Claes Ohlsson; et al. “Dehydroepiandrosterone and its Sulfate Predict the 5-Year Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Events in Elderly Men.” J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014; 64(17):1801-1810.