We Agree with the National Institute on Aging

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has issued a press release proclaiming that the cure for aging is not at hand.

We agree. Aging is a disease everyone over 30 years suffers from and about which little is being done.

In their press release NIA cautions the public that the claims that certain hormone supplements such as DHEA cavalierly bandied as cures for aging are unwarranted.

We agree . There is no hard evidence that DHEA or any other hormone is a miracle cure-all for aging and that is unlikely to be true. However, there are thousands of studies with animals and hundreds of studies with humans, spanning more than 40 years of research on the benefits of DHEA, some of which indicate that DHEA and other hormones are likely to have some anti-aging effects.

In their press release NIA warns that scientists are concerned about the dangerous side effects associated with some of these supplements and about the possibility of undiscovered health risks.

We disagree. First off, what the studies indicate is that DHEA and melatonin, are exceedingly safe. For DHEA, the only known side effects of any consequence are those affecting some women, which may result in slight masculinization effects including the growth of excess facial hair and possibly the lowering of voice. In men and women acne has been known to accompany usage. These effects are completely reversible when use of DHEA is reduced or curtailed. Melatonin is also exceedingly benign, some studies have used hundreds of times the amount sold over the counter without any undue consequences.

Because DHEA may increase testosterone and estrogen, men and women who have prostate or breast cancers may have negative consequences. This is not clear from studies or clinical experience and there are many studies showing that DHEA has powerful anticarcinogenic effects.

Melatonin levels do not fall off as rapidly as do DHEA levels and thus for optimal long term benefits daily use is not encouraged for those under the age of 40.

There are 4,400 studies on DHEA indexed in the National Library of Medicine's medline database and more than 5,400 on melatonin. These studies have been going on for several decades, so it is not as if consideration and use of DHEA and melatonin is, as the NIA indicates, "relatively new". Nor is it new that these hormones are just now for the first time under consideration for anti-aging use. Research about the anti-aging benefits of DHEA and melatonin go back more than 20 years.

NIA calls for a halt to usage of these supplements until researchers have had time to complete carefully controlled, long-term studies.

We disagree and agree. We need the "gold standard" double blind placebo control studies that will clarify, once and for all, the benefits in any current or future anti-aging treatment. On the other hand, it is inadvisable to wait for these results before starting your anti-aging program. A benefit-to-risk analysis would suggest that it is too risky to not start treating again--if you wait you may be dead before the large scale human trials are complete!

Why Is the NIA Doing This Now?

In its press release, NIA lumps prescription hormones estrogen, testosterone, and hGH together with DHEA and melatonin. It makes the point that the prescription items confer some benefits when taken in the cases of genuine deficiencies and when taken under the care of physicians. Can NIA truly argue that genuine deficiencies occur only in some people as they age? The evidence is otherwise. So if these deficiencies are widespread or universal, as studies have shown, then there are universal benefits. It is just a matter of determining when these deficiencies set in. But wait, this is exactly what we in the nutritional community have been recommending with regard to hormone replacement all along.

What we undoubtedly have in the case of the NIA press release along with a TV blitz to warn Americans (Yes!), a toll-free telephone number (1-800-222-2225), and free pamphlets is a clear case of jaded envy. Supplement companies have stolen the thunder and the bureaucratic wizards at NIA are jealous. Plus, they need to justify sustained funding.

Making the Choice Now

A recent piece in the LA Times spoke with Life Enhancement medical editor Ward Dean, MD. Supplement users are taking melatonin and DHEA without waiting for an official endorsement by the federal government "because of frustration with government inaction in this area," said Dean. The government is "more interested in things like determining the optimal distance between bus stops for the elderly, or having a better Meals on Wheels program, than understanding the basic causes of aging and doing something about it." In concluding the article, the Times quotes John Morgenthaler who emphasizes, "Of course we need the large-scale human trials, but individuals can make the choice now. If you make the choice not to start treating aging as though it is a disease, you are certain to suffer the effects of aging every year until you are dead."

Rosenblatt RA. US agency sounds alarm about "miracle" hormones. LA Times . April 28, 1997; page 1.

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