Have you ever returned home from the supermarket only to realise you forgot the one thing you absolutely went there to buy? Senior moment jokes aside, little lapses in memory are disturbing ― maybe even a bit scary.
Clinical studies have long recognised that DHEA can improve memory and the brain’s ability to form new neural connections throughout life. And now, there’s good news. You may be able to receive the benefits of DHEA without its potentially troubling side effects that can occur when it’s out of balance, such as hair loss or unwanted hair growth due to testosterone conversion.
7-Keto DHEA is a DHEA metabolite (that is, a molecule produced through the process of DHEA metabolism) that does many of the same things as DHEA ― and may even do them better. For example, both supplements, accelerate the body’s fat-burning and aid in weight loss. They also lower cortisol and stress levels and helps normalise cholesterol levels.
While 7-Keto DHEA’s memory and cognition enhancement haven’t been as extensively studied as these benefits, it is believed to be comparable to or better than that of DHEA in helping with formation and retrieval of memories ― a conclusion supported by early research.
How Mice Respond to 7-Keto DHEA
University of Wisconsin – Madison researchers tested both DHEA and 7-Keto DHEA’s impact on memory.
The researchers first trained young and old mice to navigate a water maze. Then they administered scopolamine to the young mice to induce memory loss. With DHEA, the memories of young mice improved. However, a single injection of 7-Keto DHEA completely restored their memory of the maze.
Two groups of the old mice were fed either 7-Keto DHEA or DHEA. The 7-Keto DHEA group retained memory of the water maze through a four-week period, but the DHEA control group did not.
The conclusion? 7-Keto DHEA improves memory even better than DHEA!
Henry A. Lardy, one of the study’s leads researchers at the University of Wisconsin’s Institute of Research on Enzymes, has obtained nine patents for uses of 7-Keto DHEA, including treatment for Alzheimer’s patients’ loss of memory.
See also: Managing the Menopause
What About 7-Keto DHEA for Humans?
Lardy’s studies have shown that 7-Keto DHEA is around 2.5 times more active than DHEA ― and this with no currently observed side effects! In fact, researchers concluded that 7-Keto DHEA may be primarily responsible for most of the benefits attributed to DHEA, including memory.
More memory studies have been done on DHEA than on 7-Keto DHEA; however, based on existing research, it may be expected that results experienced with DHEA will be magnified with 7-Keto DHEA.
Here are results from DHEA memory and mood research:
- When 31 elderly people with memory loss were given DHEA orally for three months, they outperformed the control group on mental function and memory tests and had no side effects.
- One woman with low DHEA levels had a 20-year history of learning and memory dysfunction. After two years of DHEA supplementation, she showed improved verbal recall and recognition, along with normalised electroencephalogram (EEG) and brain electrophysiology scans.
- One UK study found that healthy young men given a seven-day course of DHEA experienced improved episodic memory. This effect was attributed to improved pre-hippocampal memory processing. DHEA also improved mood and decreased evening concentrations of cortisol, which is associated with elevated levels of depression.
Is 7-Keto DHEA Right for You?
Like DHEA, your level of 7-Keto DHEA rises until around the age of 20; then, by the age of 30, it begins to decline. By age 50, your levels will have fallen by around 50 percent.
As you age and 7-Keto DHEA diminishes, you may experience not only cognitive decline but a less efficient immune system and a tendency to pack on body fat. These are normal signs of aging that may benefit from 7-Keto DHEA supplementation.
Dr. Sergey Dzugan, a noted anti-aging and restorative medicine physician, observes that, based on new research, people may benefit from combining DHEA and 7-Keto DHEA therapy. This is because, unlike DHEA, 7-Keto DHEA doesn’t convert to estrogen or testosterone.
Dr. Dzugan explains, “There are times when the use of regular DHEA can boost oestrogen and testosterone concentrations to appropriate levels but still not be enough to put DHEA in the optimal range. Supplementation with 7-Keto can permit additional progress in optimising immune function, cholesterol reduction, weight loss, and memory enhancement without raising these ‘downstream’ hormones, estrogen and testosterone, to an inappropriate degree.”
Note: It is not advisable to take DHEA, unless prescribed by a doctor qualified in restorative medicine. This applies particularly to those who need to avoid excess oestrogen or testosterone ― for example, people with estrogen dominance, breast cancer or hair loss. However, people may supplement with 7-Keto DHEA to obtain the benefits of DHEA without the risk. It is important to understand that DHEA only carries risk factors if it is not appropriately balanced with other bioidentical hormones. Always see a restorative doctor before embarking on any bioidentical hormone therapy.
Jill D Davey is author of ‘The Menopause Cure; Hormonal Health’ and the soon to be published, ‘The Cholesterol Puzzle: The Hormone Connection’. An advocate for bioidentical hormone restorative therapy, Jill is founder of the website Menopause Woman. The Menopause Woman philosophy is simple. To provide information on the disruptive symptoms women experience during the transitions of menopause and to provide an alternative path. On the site you will find Jill’s research on bioidentical hormone restorative therapy and premium restorative health products in our menopause shop. These health products and food supplements have been carefully selected, use the finest ingredients and are designed in accordance with restorative health principles and the Menopause Woman Code; Only the most effective ingredients; optimal amounts for optimal results; premium products for peak performance.
