Dehidroepiandrosteron/dehidroepiandrostendionă (DHEA, mai corect didehidroepiandrosteronul), cunoscut și sub denumirea de androstenolon, precum și 3β-hidroxiandrost-5-en-17-onă sau 5-androsten-3β-ol-17-onă, este un hormon steroid endogen important. În forma sa de medicament farmaceutic se numește prasteron (HAN). Este cel mai abundent hormon steroizi circulant la om, la care se produce în glandele suprarenale, gonadele, si creierul, where it functions predominantly as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the androgen and estrogen sex steroids. Cu toate acestea, DHEA also has a variety of potential biological effects in its own right, binding to an array of nuclear and cell surface receptors, and acting as a neurosteroid.
In middle-aged men, no statistically significant effect of DHEA supplementation on lean body mass, rezistenţă, or testosterone levels was found in a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
A small study suggested DHEA supplementation was associated with increases in free (but not total) testosterone levels
In women with adrenal insufficiency and the healthy elderly there is insufficient evidence to support the use of DHEA.
