| DHEA -
dehydroepiandrosterone - appears to be a very effective alternative treatment of erectile
dysfunction, according to a recent study by Austrian researchers. Dr. Werner J. Reiter
and colleagues at the University of Vienna, Austria, randomly assigned 40 patients with
erectile dysfunction to take placebo or 50 milligrams of DHEA daily for 6 months. Each of
the patients had normal levels of testosterone and other hormones.
Those taking DHEA had "an impressive improvement in maintaining the erection after 16
weeks" of therapy, the researchers report in the March issue of Urology.
At the daily 50 milligram dose, DHEA treatment had no effect on prostate-specific
antigen or any of the hormones monitored, and no adverse effects associated with the
treatment were reported.
Reiter concluded that "oral DHEA treatment may be of benefit in the therapy of
erectile dysfunction," but the mechanisms underlying this benefit are not yet
understood. Although the study population was small, the "data show a
biologically obvious trend that justifies further extended studies", said Reiter's
research team.
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