Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone vs androstenedione supplementation in men

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of short-term (12 wk) supplementation with androstenedione versus dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on body composition, strength, and related hormones in middle-aged men. Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design was used to study 40 healthy, trained (>1 yr weight training) male subjects (mean +/- S D: age 48.1 +/- 3.9 yr; weight 79.8 +/- 9.8 kg). Subjects were randomly ass igned to one of three groups: placebo (P), DHEA (D), or androstenedione (A) . Supplements (50 mg capsules) were ingested two times daily for 12 wk. All resting, including venous blood samples, body composition, and performance , was conducted at three time points: presupplementation (1 d), at 6 wk, an d postsupplementation (12 wk). Results: Despite a small increase in lean body mass (0.8 +/- 0.4 and 0.5 +/ - 0.3 kg) and mean strength (6.8 +/- 2.7 and 5.7 +/- 2.4 kg) in both D and A groups respectively, these changes were not significantly different from P. In D, there was a significantly greater increase in DHEA-S levels than i n P (P < 0.05). There were no adverse side effects demonstrated during D or A supplementation including significant changes in PSA, liver function, or Lipid levels (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that supplementation with 10 0 mg.d(-1) of either androstenedione or DHEA does nor independently elicit a statistically significant increase in lean body mass, strength, or testos terone levels in healthy adult men over a 12-wk period.