DHEA for ED: A Powerful Natural Supplement for Erectile Dysfunction

couple lying down in bed

There are far more men suffering from erectile dysfunction than most people think, owing largely to the stigma attached to it.

What many men do not realize, however, is the fact that at some point in their lives, virtually all men will experience some form of ED, whether it be mild or more troublesome.

But of course, having it occur does not mean that you need to sit by idly and do nothing, especially if there are things you could be doing to improve the prognosis.

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One such step?

Using the supplement DHEA, a natural hormone precursor that our bodies make and which is essential to your sexual health and wellbeing.

What Exactly Is DHEA?

First of all, it’s important to note that DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) should not be considered an exogenous steroid. It is actually a sex hormone precursor that is produced by the testes (in men) and the adrenal glands (in both genders).

However, the production of DHEA is not unlimited. It tends to peak around the age of 18-24 and then declines rapidly. This can help explain why the sex drive of younger men is much higher than men who are over 40.

It’s not surprising to discover that someone who is in their 60’s will have only a fraction of the amount of DHEA in their blood as someone in their 20’s, sometimes being as little as just 5%.

But here’s an interesting fact for you - some men, even though they have normal DHEA levels, may still experience intermittent ED. Production is being fulfilled by the testes and adrenal glands, but strong erections are difficult.

The reason for this?

Low brain levels of DHEA. It's believed that men who have psychological sexual dysfunction may suffer from diminished brain levels of this hormone.

Yes, DHEA is made in the brain via De Novo synthesis), since its functions in the brain to elevate serotonin, dopamine and GABA, which are neurotransmitters important in sexual arousal and reward.

The DHEA Journey

So how does DHEA reach out of the body and into a supplement? Excellent question!

The fact is, that DHEA supplements are made synthetically in the lab from either soy or wild yams.

These two plant foods contain a compound known as diosgenin, which is capable of being used in the lab for DHEA manufacture.

While it is good to think that eating wild yam or more soy-based products will then subsequently increase DHEA, this is not the case.

Men's Sexual Health

Your body simply cannot do the same conversion as you can do in a lab. Plus, soy and wild yams diosgenin content is not made into DHEA alone, but also synthetic estrogens and progesterone.

DHEA Benefits for ED

As previously mentioned, DHEA production peaks by the time you hit your mid-twenties, then starts declining every year subsequently. Is the the fact that older men mainly experience ED a mere coincidence?

Not at all, as it is more than likely that the decrease in testosterone levels (and estrogen to an extent) is brought on by reduced DHEA levels too.

Here are a few ways DHEA supplementation can benefit you as you age:

  • DHEA Acts as an “anti-aging” supplement - yes, we realize you aren’t here to read about anti-aging, but aging is your enemy. It is believed that many adverse changes to testosterone production are because of aging, and this is something that DHEA can help with. When DHEA is administered to aging animals, life span was seen to be significantly increased. But the benefits don’t just end in animal studies, as a study conducted titled “The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing”, found that lower levels of DHEA were associated with increased risk of death. This study involved more than 10000 men and tracked them for many years of their life. When it comes to age, one thing is clear; aged body systems never perform as well as younger parts, due to numerous factors such as reduced blood flow and lumen diameter.
  • DHEA boosts testosterone levels - now before you get excited by this benefit, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Be realistic. DHEA will not elevate testosterone levels to supra-physiological amounts and is unlikely to deliver any benefit at all if consumed by young men. Young men already have a very high circulating level of DHEA, and exogenous administration will only serve to suppress natural production. Ideally, you should only supplement with DHEA if you are 35 and older, or when you notice diminishing erectile potency.
  • DHEA increases Nitric Oxide Levels - interestingly, DHEA has a role in increasing nitric oxide production from the endothelium of blood vessels, which is another common way of improving ED symptoms, and is exactly why products like Viagra remain popular to this day.

DHEA Dosage for ED

Before jumping right into the good stuff, it is important to realize that DHEA is a hormone. It will affect your biochemistry, altering levels of both the male and female sex hormones.

This is not something to take lightly, especially if you are prone to mental illness or specific hormone sensitive cancers.

Even though it is “technically” still a supplement, you should consult with your GP or even better an endocrinologist before starting consumption.

Once you are given the go ahead, the typical starting dose of DHEA is 15mg, taken in a single dose. Then, over time you should generally increase to a maintenance dose of 50mg daily.

This dose was found in a study to be the most effective for improvements to testosterone levels, erectile potency, and overall sexual performance.


Good DHEA Supplements


DHEA 50mg by Zhou Nutrition

When starting out, 50mg will be too high, but after as little as a week, you should aim for this dosage.

This is the dosage which has been proven to be effective for ED

Zhou Nutrition does a great job of bringing a quality product your way. We especially like it because:

DHEA 50 mg Supplement
  • It is made from Non-GMO Produce - this means the source of DHEA is not that of a modified crop, but naturally cultivated and harvested. When attempting to optimize your hormone profile, it’s a far better option to use Non-GMO produce in order to exert maximal control over the changes.
  • Convenient single dose 50mg capsule - means less pill burden and greater compliance. Things do not need to be made tougher than they should be.
  • Improves symptoms of ED, increases energy levels and boosts mood.
  • Very affordable and available on Amazon.

DHEA 25mg Sublingual Tabs by Life Extension

When it comes to hormones made for use by the body, a major limiting factor is their actual absorption.

This is because most of them are subject to heavy breakdown by the liver, the organ virtually everything we put in our mouth must pass through.

The end result is a fraction of the original drug form, as most of it ends up broken down into metabolites.

Enter DHEA 25mg sublingual tabs by Life Extension.

Life Extension DHEA 25 Mg
  • The sublingual route involves absorption under the tongue - this bypasses liver breakdown significantly, and much more DHEA enters the blood where it may be converted to testosterone.
  • There have been anecdotal reports of reduced need for large doses - this is due to that fact that more DHEA is made available, via bypass of liver breakdown. Thus 50mg given sublingually (SL or under the tongue) should result in a much greater DHEA blood level and subsequently, testosterone spike.
  • Works out more economical looking at the bottom line - sure, it may be more expensive on a per-pill basis, but the net result of greater testosterone is obtained.

Expert Secrets to Benefit From DHEA

So, is taking your daily DHEA enough to fix ED? Maybe. Maybe not. That is why there are things you can do to tip the scale in your favor:

  • Try to not use more than 50mg of the oral pill daily - why? Because there is a point of diminishing returns. It is much more likely that as you increase the dose above this threshold, the excess is likely to be converted into estrogens.
  • Use Supplements that reduce SHBG - SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) is a carrier molecule that binds the majority of free androgens, and estrogens to an extent, though it has more affinity for male hormones. Supplements such as boron, a mineral that occurs naturally in soil, can help reduce SHBG levels over the course of a few weeks.
  • Use 5-AR inhibitors- 5 -AR is an enzyme that converts testosterone into the more potent androgen DHT. Given, DHT does have a very pronounced effect on sex drive and your erection potency, but too much is a bad thing owing to its effects on your prostate and hair line. We are not advocating you reduce these levels at the inception, but only if you notice adverse effects (and after failure of an estrogen blocker. More on that below)
  • Estrogen Blockers - another pathway that consumed DHEA can take is conversion into estrogen. This is much more likely if you take high doses (50mg+ daily) or if you have a high body fat percentage. Start off by consuming lots of cruciferous veggies, which have aromatase blocking potential, and help to break down strong estrogens into weaker ones.

This strategy of expert secrets is very likely to yield the results you are looking for. Share with a friend who stands to benefit from this fountain of knowledge!

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