Biomarkers · Vitamins & Endocrine

Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA-S)

Both low and high values go with higher risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

DHEA-S and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death1.51×lowest (Q1) vs middle (Q3) sex- and 5-year age-group specific quintile of DHEAS (95% CI 1.25–1.82) · Case-cohort nested within EPIC-Heidelberg, 7370 men (mean age 55.0) and women (mean age 52.4), Germany

DHEA-S by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (ug/dL), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	40-59	20.0	54.0	84.0	133	253	353	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
All	60+	13.7	33.0	57.5	94.8	167	394	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
All	all	15.0	40.0	70.0	112	209	747	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Men	40-59	35.7	72.0	111	168	316	135	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Men	60+	17.4	43.0	67.0	100	178	195	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Men	all	21.0	48.0	84.0	122	255	330	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Women	40-59	17.9	45.0	73.5	111	190	218	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Women	60+	10.9	22.5	46.0	88.0	162	199	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…
Women	all	14.0	33.0	63.0	101	187	417	MIDUS 3 Biomarker Proj…

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in DHEA-S, study by study

2 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
nutraceutical	Standardized ashwagandha extract delivering 21 mg withanolide glycosides daily for 8 weeks in overweight men aged 40-70 with mild fatigue	18% greater increase in salivary DHEA-S with ashwagandha than placebo over 8 weeks (p=.005)	RCT	Lopresti AL, Drummond PD, Smith SJ. A Randomized, Double-Blind…
supplement	Oral ascorbic acid 1000 mg daily for 2 months in women with functional hypercortisolaemia / elevated DHEA-S from chronic stress	Elevated DHEA-S fell from 12.8 to 7.8 after 2 months of vitamin C in women with isolated high DHEA-S (group III; p = 0.003)	RCT	Beglaryan N, Hakobyan G, Nazaretyan E. Vitamin C supplementation alleviates…

What else moves this marker

They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.

Diseases and conditions

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↓ Depression · depression patients vs healthy controls, serum DHEAS	SMD -0.777 (95% CI -1.399 to -0.156)	depression patients vs healthy controls · Case-control studies of depression plus the authors' own case-control sample	meta analysis · PMID 26205628
↓ Pulmonary fibrosis · pulmonary fibrosis patients vs controls	SMD -0.72 (95% CI -1.21 to -0.24)	pulmonary fibrosis patients vs controls · 10 studies, 1371 patients	meta analysis · PMID 39109519

Environmental and occupational exposures

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↑ Alcohol intake · per 10 g/day alcohol, postmenopausal women	+6.6 percent per 10 g/day alcohol, postmenopausal women	per 10 g/day increment in self-reported alcohol intake · 173,476 postmenopausal women (UK Biobank, EPIC, EHBCCG)	meta analysis · PMID 38824654
↑ Cigarette smoking (current) · current smokers vs nonsmokers, premenopausal women, all menstrual phases	SMD +0.12 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.22)	current premenopausal smokers vs nonsmokers · Healthy premenopausal women not using exogenous hormones, 19 publications	meta analysis · PMID 35291014

Sources

Risk curve: Mukama T 2023 (PMID 36477484): all-cause HR 1.51 (1.25-1.82) lowest (Q1) vs middle (Q3) sex- and 5-year age-group specific quintile of DHEAS; Q5 vs Q3 HR 1.31 (1.08-1.58). Scaled to US values (NHANES).
Mukama T, Johnson T, Katzke V, Kaaks R. Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Men and Women-A J-shaped Relationship. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023;108(6):e313-e325.

Map Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA-S) against another biomarker.

Map DHEA-S against another marker