Affiliations 

  • 1 Operating Room Nursing Department, Xiangya Third Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 400013, China
  • 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dezhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dezhou, Shandong 253000, China
  • 3 School of Medicine, Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • 4 UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Student Research Committee, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • 6 Department of Endocrinology, Dezhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dezhou, Shandong 253000, China. Electronic address: jiaopeng0666@sina.com
Exp Gerontol, 2020 07 15;136:110949.
PMID: 32304719 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.110949

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Inconsistencies exist with regard to the influence of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation on insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. The inconsistencies could be attributed to several factors, such as dosage, gender, and duration of intervention, among others. To address these inconsistencies, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to combine findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on this topic.

METHODS: Electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar) were searched for relevant literature published up to February 2020.

RESULTS: Twenty-four qualified trials were included in this meta-analysis. It was found that serum IGF-1 levels were significantly increased in the DHEA group compared to the control (weighted mean differences (WMD): 16.36 ng/ml, 95% CI: 8.99, 23.74; p = .000). Subgroup analysis revealed that a statistically significant increase in serum IGF-1 levels was found only in women (WMD: 23.30 ng/ml, 95% CI: 13.75, 32.87); in participants who supplemented 50 mg/d DHEA (WMD: 15.75 ng/ml, 95% CI: 7.61, 23.89); in participants undergoing DHEA intervention for >12 weeks (WMD: 17.2 ng/ml, 95% CI: 8.02, 26.22); in participants without an underlying comorbidity (WMD: 19.11 ng/ml, 95% CI: 10.69, 27.53); and in participants over the age of 60 years (WMD: 19.79 ng/ml, 95% CI: 9.86, 29.72).

CONCLUSION: DHEA supplementation may increase serum IGF-I levels especially in women and older subjects. However, further studies are warranted before DHEA can be recommended for clinical use.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.