Ray Peat on dhea

Aging Skin, Progesterone, and Vitamin D

"It has been known for several decades that the production of progesterone and DHEA decreases steadily with aging, and in recent years it has been noticed that when aged skin is exposed to sunlight it produces only half as much vitamin D as young skin does. Old skin has about half as much cholesterol as young skin, so it isn’t surprising that those substances derived from it are reduced."

- November 2018 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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The Foundational Role of Progesterone and DHEA

"Progesterone and DHEA are the precursors for the other more specialized steroid hormones, including cortisol, aldosterone (sodium-retaining hormone), estrogen, and testosterone."

- Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

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Concerns Over Administering DHEA Without Balanced Hormones

"Since DHEA can be easily metabolized into testosterone (by the skin, for example), and into estrogen, I dont think it should ever be administered alone, without an approximately natural balance of pregnenolone and progesterone."

- Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

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Personal Experience: Progesterone and DHEA Affect on Melanomas

"I had some probable melanomas years ago, and I found that progesterone and DHEA and increased thyroid caused them to disappear quickly."

- Email Response by Ray Peat

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Plant Steroid-Derivatives' Toxicity and Regulation by DHEA and Progesterone

"digitalis and ouabain are plant steroid-derivatives that are poisonous to animal cells--especially the heart cells--by acting at a site which is normally regulated by substances such as DHEA and progesterone."

- 1995 - September Ray Peat's Newsletter

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Progesterone's Positive Effect on Heart Function

"Albert Szent-Gyorgyi showed that the heart responds to progesterone, and more recently other researchers have presented evidence that DHEA is our endogenous digitalis."

- 1992 - June - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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Low DHEA Levels Correlated with Premature Death

"A low level of the hormone DHEA is associated with premature death from various causes, including cancer, heart disease,"

- 1992 - December - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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Decline of Protective Hormones in the Aging Brain

"In young people, the brain contains a very high concentration of pregnenolone and its derivatives, DHEA and progesterone, all of which stabilize cells and protect against the effects of cortisol, but in old age these fall to about 5% of their normal concentration, leaving the brain exposed to the destructive action of cortisol."

- 1991 - January - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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Repeated paragraph, same title as above.

"the brain content of progesterone, pregnenolone and DHEA is normally 20 or 30 times higher than the serum concentration, and these hormones are protective against both estrogen and cortisone."

- 1991 - April - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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