Recommendation Number 5:

Hormone Balance

DHEA supplements (for men and women), Super MiraForte with Maximum Strength Chrysin (for men), Natural Female Support (for women)

Restore Youthful Hormone Balance with DHEA Supplements

Taking vitamins will not make you feel better if you suffer from a hormone imbalance. Youthful hormone balance is critical to maintaining health in all women and men over age 35.

Aging men and women are invariably DHEA deficient.1-5 Men over age 40 often have too much estrogen and too little free testosterone.6-8 Aging women need to balance their progesterone and estrogen levels.

The proper blood tests can provide the data needed to design an individualized hormone modulation program.

Life Extension® offers low cost blood test panels designed to help provide the biological information needed to safely achieve youthful hormone balance. The good news is that as more Americans have their blood tested to assess their hormone status, the prices of these blood tests have dropped so they are affordable to just about everyone. To order a comprehensive Male or Female Blood Test Panel, call 1-800-208-3444.

Once you receive your blood test results, you can take them to your doctor or talk to a Life Extension Health

Advisor about the different options available to you. Health Advisors are available by calling 1-800-226-2370, or by contacting us online.

DHEA: The Most Popular Hormone Supplement

The Life Extension Foundation introduced the anti-aging benefits of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to its members in 1981. This hormone did not become credible to the medical establishment until 1996, when the New York Academy of Sciences published a textbook entitled DHEA and Aging that provided scientific validation for many of DHEA’s effects. The general public learned about DHEA later that same year when its benefits were touted in the media and in several best-selling books.

DHEA is the body’s most abundant circulating hormone. Unfortunately, research has shown that DHEA production peaks by age 25 and drops dramatically each year thereafter. By age 70 most people’s DHEA levels have declined by over 80%, leading to hormonal imbalances that can affect quality of life.9 These kinds of imbalances also occur with other critical hormones in our aging bodies such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.

Thousands of studies have been published showing how DHEA may help to retard the effects of aging and promote longevity. Considering DHEA’s potential benefits, many researchers advocate taking DHEA supplements to regain youthful circulating concentrations of this critical hormone.9 To achieve the DHEA levels of a 25-year-old, men normally take 50 mg a day, while women usually need only 15-25 mg a day.

In addition, a DHEA metabolite called 7-Keto® DHEA demonstrates improved immune function10 and a safe increase in fat-burning enzymes in the liver.11,12 Studies show that people who consumed 200 mg of 7-Keto® DHEA lost more weight than those who took a placebo. Both groups followed a diet and exercise program.

All of Life Extension’s DHEA supplements are manufactured under GMP (good manufacturing practice) conditions and micronized for maximum absorption and utilization.

For information about the different forms and potencies of DHEA, refer to the Hormones section of this Directory.

Note: Do not use DHEA if you are at risk for or have been diagnosed with any type of hormonal cancer, such as prostate or breast cancer. Studies suggest that 7-Keto® does not convert to testosterone or estradiol the way DHEA can.20 However, no research to date has evaluated 7-Keto’s® effect on hormonally-dependent conditions like prostate cancer. Before initiating DHEA, refer to the DHEA Precautions for Men and DHEA Precautions for Women in the Hormones section of this Directory.

Hormones: A Natural Approach for Men

Sexual stimulation begins in the brain when testosterone binds to cell-receptor sites to ignite a cascade of pleasure-inducing biochemical events. Testosterone promotes sexual desire and then facilitates performance, sensation and the ultimate degree of fulfillment. Men with low testosterone routinely suffer from a decreased sex drive and impotence. Low testosterone has been linked to a host of age-related problems.

One reason aging males become testosterone-deficient is the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. A natural method of boosting free testosterone levels is to block the aromatase enzyme that causes the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. A flavonoid called chrysin is a natural aromatase inhibitor.

Another reason why aging men are testosterone-deficient is a blood component called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) which binds to free testosterone, rendering it biologically inactive. Research has found that Urtica dioica has a greater affinity for SHBG than testosterone.13 As a result, Urtica dioica binds to SHBG and helps increase the level of free testosterone.

A formula called Super MiraForte contains high concentrations of chrysin, Bioperine®, Urtica dioica, and Muira puama. To augment the natural protective effects of these ingredients, a standardized lignan extract from Norwegian spruce has been added to Super MiraForte. These lignans convert to enterolactone in the intestine that is then rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream where it provides significant biological effects.14 Enterolactone has demonstrated anti-estrogen and anti-DHT effects that are of particular importance for the aging prostate gland.15-16

Super MiraForte with Standardized Lignans is designed to help re-establish more youthful testosterone levels. A bottle containing 120 capsules retails for $62.00. If a Life Extension member buys four bottles, the price is reduced to $42.00 per bottle. The suggested dose is two capsules, twice per day. For more information, refer to the Hormones section of this directory.

Caution: Men with prostate cancer should not take this product, nor should women.

Hormones: A Natural Approach for Women

As women age, their natural production of hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, declines. These hormonal deficits give rise to a host of unpleasant menopausal issues and accelerate various aging processes.

Estrogen does more than mitigate the unwanted effects of menopause. Researchers have found that estrogen confers a variety of benefits: helping to maintain firm skin and muscle tone, supporting healthy neurological, immune, and sexual function, and producing greater feelings of well-being.

For years, menopausal women relied on estrogen drugs to maintain youthful levels of this hormone. Yet concern about the potentially life-threatening side effects of hormone drugs has caused many women to deprive themselves of the benefits of hormone replacement therapy.

Phytoestrogens, natural estrogenic extracts from plant sources with no known harmful side effects, are being used by more and more women to help promote optimal hormone balance.17-35

Additional Natural Female Support for Menopausal Symptoms

For many years, women have had limited options for relieving menopausal symptoms. Those who advocated safer approaches were vindicated when clinical studies confirmed that synthetic estrogen-progestin drugs increase risk of breast cancer, stroke and other diseases.36

Fortunately, natural plant-based extracts have been discovered that reduce menopausal complaints and support healthy estrogen metabolism during menopause and beyond. These findings have resulted in a proprietary formulation combining a patented hops extract with a super-standardized lignan (HMRlignan™).

This patented hops extract contains a phytoestrogen (8-prenylnaringenin) that offers natural female support during menopause.37 In two human clinical trials with this special hops extract, menopausal women experienced significantly fewer hot flashes along with improvement in a variety of other menopausal complaints.38-39

This hops extract (called Lifenol™) has been combined with HMRlignan™ to make it even more useful. A recent study indicated that postmenopausal women using 50 mg HMRlignan™ daily over eight weeks experienced a 53.5% reduction in hot flashes as well as a reduction in other common menopausal complaints.40 In addition, clinical data suggests that a lignan-rich diet supports breast health.

One vegetarian capsule of Natural Female Support provides:

Natural Female Support offers powerful nutritional support to help decrease menopausal complaints and maintain healthy estrogen metabolism during menopause.

For optimal benefit, in addition to standardized extracts of hops and plant lignans, Life Extension® recommends postmenopausal women take a variety of nutritional ingredients like curcumin, cruciferous vegetable extracts (e.g., sulforaphane, carnosic acid), omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and calcium-D-glucarate to support healthy estrogen metabolism and cellular integrity.

A bottle of 30 vegetarian capsules of Natural Female Support (a one-month supply) retails for $28; if a Life Extension member orders four bottles, the price is reduced to only $18 per bottle.

Note: This product should not be used in place of or as a substitute for recommendations by your healthcare professional.

Aging women should also consider Pro Fem Cream, which contains natural progesterone, along with melatonin supplementation each night. Information about DHEA, melatonin, and Pro Fem Cream can be found in the Hormones section of this Directory.

Comprehensive Hormone Replacement Options

To learn about comprehensive hormone modulation for aging men or women, refer to the Disease Prevention and Treatment book. Men should refer to the following chapters in the Health Concerns section of our website:

• Male Hormone Modulation
• DHEA Replacement

Women should refer to the following pages in the Health Concerns section of our website:

• Female Hormone Modulation
• DHEA Replacement

This information is also available at www.lef.org

Members can also discuss this with one of our Life Extension Health Advisors by calling 1-800-226-2370.

The best way of determining your natural hormone needs is through the comprehensive Male or Female Blood Test Panel. To inquire about ordering these blood tests, call 1-800-208-3444.

More Info on Hormone Balance (DHEA)