Whats the difference between pregnenolone and DHEA?
The age-old question, what comes first? The chicken or the egg?, can be asked about pregnenolone and DHEA. Both pregnenolone and DHEA are precursor hormones that produce other important male and female sex hormones in the body. So the question is pregnenolone the same as DHEA? The answer is yes and no, and here's why.
What is pregnenolone?
Pregnenolone is sometimes nicknamed the grandparent hormone to other steroid hormones. The adrenal glands synthesize cholesterol into pregnenolone. While the adrenal glands produce most of the pregnenolone, the brain, skin, live, testes, and ovaries produce smaller amounts.
After synthesizing, pregnenolone can be changed to DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone or progesterone.
Pregnenolone importance
Pregnenolone levels naturally decline as one ages. By the time men and women reach their 70s, levels may have 60% less than in their 30s. Pregnenolone is crucial for many functions, including:
- brain function and cognition
- liver
- pancreas
- reproductive tissues
- nervous tissue
- pituitary gland
- skin
Low pregnenolone levels may also come from experiencing acute and chronic infections, as well as trauma.
What is DHEA?
As mentioned, DHEA comes from pregnenolone. It's then synthesized into the sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, or the stress hormone cortisol. DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the body. Like pregnenolone, levels decline due to age. It's estimated that by age 40, production is half what it was at age 20. By age 80, levels have plummeted.
DHEA importance
Since DHEA is the beginning of other essential hormones and has broad effects on the body, declining production affects every system, organ, and tissue. DHEA has a profound impact on the immune system, and low levels can make people susceptible to viruses and bacteria.
Science also indicates that low levels may lead to degenerative diseases and accelerated aging. DHEA plays a vital role in bodily functions, including:
- brain function
- immune function
- bone metabolism
- energy metabolism
- regulation of blood sugar and insulin
- maintenance of lean body mass
Low levels may be attributable to age, disease, or low functioning adrenal gland, among other causes.
Supplementing with pregnenolone and DHEA creams
When your body experiences a chronic deficiency in pregnenolone or DHEA, it can affect every system and organ. A straightforward answer is supplementation with high-quality hormone creams.
Pregnenolone creams come in easy to apply topical lotions that soothe the skin while increasing levels. The pregnenolone is all-natural and helps fight age, boost mood, reduce anxiety, and fight depression.
DHEA creams come in DHEA and 7-Keto DHEA. The topical bioidentical DHEA creams match the missing hormone in your body to boost levels naturally. Some of the benefits may include the following:
- improved sleep
- boosted energy
- improved mood
- increased weight loss
- reduced inflammation
- improved brain cognition
Dosing for both pregnenolone and DHEA depends on your bodily needs, but the recommended dose is 50 mg per pump.
In a nutshell, the body takes cholesterol to make pregnenolone, which, in turn, creates DHEA. Both work together to optimize bodily functions. When you have low levels of either one, all systems and organs may become out of whack. Try supplementing with pregnenolone or DHEA to discover if it's right for you.