DHEA and osteoporosis
The reduction of bone tissue, osteoporosis, is responsible for 1.3 million fractures in men and women over 45. In women, osteoporosis after menopause becomes a real problem.
The known factors affecting calcium deposition and normal bone growth are manifold and include the following: normal calcium absorption, adequate stomach acid and adequate vitamin D. Many older women suffer from vitamin D deficiency due to insufficient sun exposure, and many over 70 lacks sufficient stomach acid.
The incorporation of calcium into normal bones requires the stress of the bone (physical activity) and adequate hormonal control - parathyroid hormone and progesterone. It is important to exclude excess thyroid hormone (not uncommon in women taking thyroid medication) and hypercortisolemia, especially in patients receiving corticosteroids. Anabolika
The calcium concentration in the blood is strictly kept within narrow limits. As the level begins to decrease, the secretion of the parathyroid hormone is increased and the release of calcitonin is lowered. To understand osteoporosis, one has to understand how these hormones increase and decrease blood calcium levels.
Calcitonin lowers calcium levels in the blood. Parathyroid hormone primarily increases calcium levels by increasing the activity of bone-degrading cells (osteoclasts). It also reduces the excretion of calcium by the kidneys and increases the absorption of calcium in the intestine. Since bone mass and serum DHEA both decrease with age, one can not be sure if a drop in DHEA levels is actually the cause is a reduced bone mass. However, there is evidence that aging alone can not explain the relationship between DHEA levels and bone mass. In a recent study of Belgian women, significant correlations were found between bone mineral content and DHEA levels (measured as DHEA-S), even after correction of age-related effects. Clenbuterol
In another study, serum DHEA levels were significantly lower in 49 women with osteoporosis than in women of similar age without osteoporosis. DHEA levels decreased with age in both groups of women. Those with osteoporosis had lower levels at any age. (Nordin) These studies support the proposed role of DHEA in the maintenance of bone mass. Turinabol
Estrogen and bone
reduction An estrogen deficiency causes bone loss. The osteoclasts (cells that break down the bones) become more susceptible to the parathyroid hormone, resulting in increased bone loss and thus an increase in the level of calcium in the blood. This results in a decreased level of the parathyroid hormone and this in turn a decreased level of active vitamin D and an increased calcium excretion. Sibutramin
Calcitonin lowers blood calcium levels by stimulating osteoblasts (bone-building cells). Postmenopausal osteoporosis has a low calcitonin level; he is responsible for the osteoporosis that occurs in these women. Calcitonin (isolated from salmon) has shown remarkable effects in clinical trials and is very promising for the treatment of severe osteoporosis. (It is only available on prescription).
Estrogen stimulates the liver to form a protein that binds certain adrenal hormones and reduces their ability to dissolve bone. Low levels of estrogen, as commonly seen after menopause, often contribute to bone loss in women. Wachstumshormone
However, there is very little osteoporosis in Bantu women in Africa, even after menopause, which occurs at the same age as in American women. Studies show that postmenopausal Bantu women have more estrogen than American postmenopausal women. How so? American
Women seem to have upset their body through their eating habits and other means. As a result, and with increasing age, the hormones are not working as well anymore. Bantu women consume a minimum amount of milk, no calcium supplements and no postmenopausal estrogen pills. They also consume little sugar, coffee, alcohol, aspirin, corticosteroids, antibiotics or other medications.
The body stays in a stable state most of the time and does not take calcium-free life out of the bones. It is not known if Bantu women have better thyroid function and functions of endocrine glands than American women. Just a Food for Thought Amenorrhoea and Bone Density Amenorrhoea (the absence of monthly menstrual bleeding) indicates the existence of an estrogen deficiency, except when a woman is pregnant or undergoing surgical removal of the uterus. Estrogen deficiency and amenorrhea have many causes: prolactin-producing tumors, anorexia nervosa, intense bodywork associated with leanness, and natural or surgical menopause. All of these causes of amenorrhea are associated in cross-section with a low bone density. However, low bone density in women with amenorrhea does not indicate whether the cause is an abnormally low peak bone density or a subsequent accelerated degree of bone loss. There are no eligible data documenting maximum bone mass in a group of women with primary or secondary amenorrhoea compared to women with normal menstruation.
The data on the degree of bone changes in women with amenorrhea are rare. The extent of cortical bone changes changes the formation and supplements estrogen.
estrogen replacement
Conventional medicine has shown that synthetic estrogen, when taken continuously, can temporarily cause further bone loss in victims of osteoporosis. However, the continued use of synthetic estrogen increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, abnormal coagulation, AND does nothing to replace the lost bone cells. There is a general belief that most women who are susceptible to osteoporosis risk more than the benefits. Corticosteroids are known to be an important cause of osteoporosis, perhaps in part because they reduce DHEA. Would co-administration of DHEA prevent some of the side effects of corticosteroids, including osteoporosis? The natural secretion of our adrenal glands contains these two hormones, and nature usually does things for a good reason. Animal experiments indicate that DHEA indeed modifies some of the negative effects of corticosteroids.
DHEA Increases Mineral Bone
Density DHEA, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, has been shown to improve osteoporosis. (Mayer). DHEA not only has a direct effect on bone resorption and formation, but it can also increase the level of other major hormones - estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, which are important for the density of bone minerals. In men with low testosteron levels, osteoporosis is more common.
In a study with postmenopausal women, administration of DHEA increased serum levels of both testosterone and estrogen. (Regelson) Although DHEA is not converted directly into progesterone, it could still be via a feedback mechanism. (See Scheme Synthesis of adrenal hormones). Both DHEA and progesterone are formed from the same precursor hormone, pregnenolone. If enough DHEA is present, pregnenolone is converted to progesterone rather than DHEA.
Administration of DHEA to ovariectomized rats significantly increased bone mineral density. These results strongly suggest that serum adrenal androgen is converted to estrogen and that it may be important to maintain mineral bone density, especially in the sixth to seventh decade, after menopause. (Nawata)
DHEA prevents bone reduction in several ways:
1. DHEA improves calcium absoption, possibly due to the effects on vitamin B metabolism
2. A degradation product of DHEA binds to estrogen receptors. Therefore, DHEA, like estrogen, prevents bone resorption.
3. Androgens (which include DHEA and testosterone) stimulate bone formation and calcium absorption. DHEA could therefore increase the bone-forming effect of progesterone. DHEA appears to be the only hormone capable of inhibiting bone resorption AND stimulating bone formation.
4. DHEA plays an important role in preserving bone mass in postmenopausal women. In women who suffer from Addison's disease (adrenal insufficiency), it appears that sufficient DHEA is produced by the ovaries to balance the weak adrenal glands. This most likely explains why these women do not develop osteoporosis. However, after the menopause, when the ovarian production of DHEA and other hormones is slowed, the adrenal glands are unable to take over production and there is a marked deficiency in DHEA. It is very possible that supplementation of DHEA in postmenopausal women exhibiting adrenal insufficiency would prevent accelerated bone loss in these same women.
DHEA and the Calcium Metabolism
Experiments, which Dr. Hollo, a Hungarian researcher, showed that the plasma levels of DHEA-S in women after the menopause and with osteoporosis were significantly lower than in comparable controls. He also noted one abnormality in these women: when they received intravenous doses of DHEA, circulating blood calcium levels remained elevated for an unusually long time. After oral administration of 100 mg / day of DHEA-S for one week, the calcium metabolism returned to normal, suggesting that the body used it. (Hollo)
A number of data suggest that changes in the secretion of adrenal androgens may be a factor contributing to changes in bone mass. The possible association between bone density and serum DHEA levels was studied in 105 women (aged 45-69 years, 76 post-menopausal, 29 pre-menopausal). The level of DHEA was significantly lower in subjects with low bone density. Serum levels decreased significantly in all individuals with increasing age. After the age-related corrections, there was a significant relationship between DHEA and the mineral density of the bones of the lower spine, neck, and arms. With no significant difference in estrogen between the two groups, this study suggests that DHEA could have a non-estrogenic effect on the bones. (Szathmarai) Sex hormones and mineral bone density in older men
The relationship between sex hormones and bone mineral density in older men has been studied by a number of researchers. Testosterone is believed to play a role in determining mineral bone density in older men. (Murphy) But there is no significant relationship between osteoporosis and testosterone levels. Studies have shown that there is
a significant relationship between bone mineralization and DHEA levels.
Yam Root Cream Has Positive Bone Density Clinical studies have shown that the level of bone density increased in 38- to 83-year-old postmenopausal women using a cream containing natural components of wild yam root progesterone hormone. In some women, bone density increased by up to 25 percent. Thus, in contrast to estrogen, these components actually restore bone density. There were no side effects with this natural yam root cream. (Lee)
Postmenopausal women most often take synthetic estrogen to protect themselves from osteoporosis. Estrogen stimulates bone osteoclastic cells to increase bone resorption. However, this effect decreases after about five years. Thereafter, bone loss progresses at the same rate as in women who do not deliver estrogen. The more important factor in osteoporosis is the lack of progesterone, which causes a decrease in osteoblast-mediated bone formation.
Patients with a breast cancer history are faced with progressive osteoporosis without the use of hormone therapy. A natural progesterone therapy can help these women the most.
After Dr. John Lee caused a substitution with natural progesterone derived from wild yam extract, a turnaround in their osteoporosis, and, in many, an improvement in the additional problems associated with breast cancer, such as vaginal atrophy. None of the women developed any kind of cancer.
DHEA improves osteoporosis by increasing the reabsorption and formation of bones, but also the level of other important hormones - estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. DHEA appears to be the only hormone capable of inhibiting the reabsorption of bone AND stimulating bone formation.
