28-DAY DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SUPPLEMENTATION DOES NOT AFFECT BODY COMPOSITION IN YOUNG ATHLETES

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28-DAY DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SUPPLEMENTATION DOES NOT AFFECT BODY COMPOSITION IN YOUNG ATHLETES

Morteza Jourkesh
Dept. of Physical Activity and Sport, Islamic Azad University, Shabestar Branch, Iran

The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of acute dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) intake on body composition and serum steroid hormones in young athletes. Twenty young (19 to 22 years) male soccer players were allocated to two randomly assigned trials - ingesting DHEA (100-mg doses) or placebo (PLA) for 28 days. Body weight was not affected by 4 weeks of DHEA supplementation. No significant changes in BMI, WHR, body fat or total muscle mass for the two groups were detected at the end of the trial. There was no within- or between-group difference in arm fat index (AFI) and corrected mid-upper-arm muscle area (cAMA). Treatment with DHEA resulted in significant increase of total testosterone, estradiol and DHEA-S levels in treated subjects versus the placebo group (p < 0.05).  Results of this study suggest no beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation on body composition in young competitive athletes.
Key words: dehydroepiandrosterone, soccer players, body fat, muscle mass.