DHEA supplements with the fewest additives
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) may improve skin appearance, relieve lupus symptoms, and fight erectile dysfunction. However, many DHEA supplements contain more than just the active ingredient. For example, silica or silicon dioxide are often added to prevent caking, magnesium stearate or stearic acid for easier manufacturing, hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) as an emulsifier or thickener, titanium dioxide for whitening, and povidone as a binder.
I try to avoid these additives because they may have questionable health effects. If you want to do the same, my suggestions for DHEA supplements are:
Suggestion for a minimal-additive DHEA liquid:
I'd argue for this liquid form instead of a pill for most people. There's evidence (thanks to Georgi of IdeaLabs for writing about it) that suggests that DHEA applied to the skin may be more bioavailable than when taken orally. Of particular benefit to men, topical application might also improve the ratio of androgenicity to estrogenicity.
Based on that, I use BioMatrix brand, which is the closest match I'm aware of to the composition used in the study:
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- titanium dioxide-free
- free of Plasdone products / povidone
DHEA, glycerin, alcohol.
Suggestion for a minimal-additive DHEA capsule:
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- titanium dioxide-free
- free of Plasdone products / povidone
- contains hypromellose / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
DHEA, rice flour, plant cellulose capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose from Capsugel).
Suggestions for no-additive DHEA powders:
These powders require a milligram scale for accurate dosage measurements.
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- titanium dioxide-free
- free of Plasdone products / povidone
Pure DHEA powder.
A COA is available for a recent batch.
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- titanium dioxide-free
- free of Plasdone products / povidone
Pure DHEA powder.
Other DHEA supplements
The following are other DHEA supplements I'm aware of, sorted alphabetically.
| Name | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| 21st Century Health Care DHEA (Capsules) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) pure pharmaceutical grade, oat fiber, calcium carbonate, gelatin, cellulose, magnesium stearate, magnesium silicate, silicon dioxide. |
| AST Sports Science DHEA 100 Micronized (Capsules) | Dehydroepiandrosterone, dicalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, gelatin. |
| Allergy Research Group DHEA 10 Micronized Lipid Matrix (Tablets) | Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), micosolle, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, cab-o-sil, magnesium stearate, povidone. |
| Country Life Gluten Free 7-KetoTrim (Veggie Capsules) | 7-keto (3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone), acetyl l-carnitine, l-tyrosine (free form), cellulose, magnesium stearate, silica, cellulose (capsule shell). |
| Country Life Gluten Free DHEA (Veggie Capsules) | Dehydroepiandrosterone, rice flour, cellulose, cellulose (capsule shell), silica. |
| Country Life Gluten Free DHEA Complex for Men (Veggie Capsules) | Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl acid succinate), moomiyo (shilajit), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), puncture vine 10:1 extract (tribulus terrestris)(leaf), cellulose, cellulose (capsule shell), magnesium stearate, calcium silicate, silica. |
| Country Life Gluten Free DHEA Complex for Women (Veggie Capsules) | Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl acid succinate), vitamin B-6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride), chaste tree extract (vitex agnus castus)(berry), blue cohosh extract (root), DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), cellulose, cellulose (capsule shell), silica, magnesium stearate. |
| DaVinci Laboratories of Vermont Micronized DHEA (Veggie Capsules) | DHEA (micronized), vegetable cellulose (capsule), vegetable stearate. |
| Enzymatic Therapy 7-KETO DHEA Metabolite (Capsules) | 7-keto DHEA acetate (7-KETO brand), cellulose, gelatin, magnesium stearate, and titanium dioxide color. |
| Enzymatic Therapy Naturalean with 7-Keto (Capsules) | Iodine (as potassium iodide), copper (as copper gluconate), manganese (as manganese krebs cycle chelates), asparagus (asparagus officinalis) rhizome extract standardized to contain a minimum of 4% asparagosides, l-tyrosine, 7-keto DHEA acetate (7-keto brand), choline bitartrate, inositol, vegetable capsule (modified cellulose), magnesium stearate, and silicon dioxide. |
| Healthy Origins 7-Keto (Veggie Capsules) | 7-keto (DHEA acetate-7-one), rice flour, vegetable capsule (cellulose, water). |
| Jarrow Formulas 7-Keto DHEA (Capsules) | 7-keto DHEA (7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone), cellulose, magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and silicon dioxide, capsule consists of gelatin. |
| Jarrow Formulas DHEA 10 (Capsules) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), cellulose, magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and silicon dioxide, capsule consists of gelatin. |
| Life Enhancement CholestOut II with DHEA (Capsules) | Niacin (vitamin B3 as inositol hexanicotinate), green tea extract, catechins, theaflavins, DHEA, policosanol, coenzyme q10, gelatin capsules. |
| Life Enhancement DHEA Original (Capsules) | Vitamin C (from ascorbyl palmitate), DHEA, rice flour, gelatin capsule. |
| Life Extension 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite (Capsules) | 7-keto DHEA (3-acteyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone), rice flour powder, gelatin, vegetable stearate. |
| Life Extension 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite (Veggie Capsules) | Vitamin C (as ascorbyl palmitate), 7-keto DHEA (3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone), ascorbyl palmitate, BCM-95 bio-curcumin (curcuma longa) 25:1 extract (root) [std. to 95% total curcuminoids complex with essential oils of turmeric rhizome by HPLC], green tea (camellia sinensis) decaffeinated extract (leaf) [standardized to 98% polyphenols], polygonum cuspidatum (root) and whole red grape (vitis vinifera) extract [std. to 35% trans-resveratrol], rice flour, vegetable cellulose (capsule), vegetable stearate. |
| Life Extension DHEA (Capsules) | DHEA, microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin, silica. |
| Life Extension DHEA Complete (Veggie Capsules) | Vitamin C (as ascorbyl palmitate), 7-keto DHEA (3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone), ascorbyl palmitate, BCM-95 bio-curcumin (curcuma longa) 25:1 extract (root) [std. to 95% total curcuminoids complex with essential oils of turmeric rhizome by HPLC], DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), green tea (camellia sinensis) decaffeinated extract (leaf) [standardized to 98% polyphenols], polygonum cuspidatum (root) and whole red grape (vitis vinifera) extracts [std. to 35% trans-resveratrol], rice flour, vegetable cellulose (capsule), vegetable stearate. |
| Natrol DHEA (Capsules) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), rice flour, gelatin, water, magnesium stearate, silica. |
| Natrol DHEA (Tablets) | Calcium (as calcium carbonate), DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), cellulose, silica, acacia, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, cellulose gum, maltodextrin. |
| Natrol DHEA Orange Flavor (Tablets) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), dextrose, cellulose & ester derivatives, PVP, natural flavor system (orange cream), sucralose, silica. |
| Nature's Bounty DHEA (Tablets) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), dicalcium phosphate, vegetable cellulose, vegetable stearic acid, silica, vegetable magnesium stearate. |
| Nature's Plus DHEA-10 with Bioperine (Veggie Capsules) | DHEA (pharmaceutical grade dehydroepiandrosterone), bioperine (bioavailability enhancing phytonutrient)(piper nigrum fruit)(standardized 95% 1-piperoylpiperdine), silica, vegetable cellulose (USP) and purified water. |
| Now Foods 7-KETO (Veggie Capsules) | 7-KETO (DHEA acetate-7-one), rice flour, vegetable polysaccharide (capsule) and magnesium stearate (vegetable source). |
| Now Foods 7-KETO DHEA Metabolite (Veggie Capsules) | 7-keto (DHEA acetate-7-one), rice flour, cellulose (capsule), magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and silica. |
| Now Foods 7-Keto (Veggie Capsules) | 7-keto (DHEA acetate-7-one), rice flour, cellulose (capsule), magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and silica. |
| Now Foods 7-Keto LeanGels (Softgels) | 7-keto (DHEA acetate-7-one), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (from safflower oil), green tea extract (camellia sinensis) (leaf) (min. 60% polyphenols), acetyl-l-carnitine (from acetyl-l-carnitine HCl), rhodiola extract (rhodiola rosea) (root) (min. 3% total rosavins), naturally occurring caffeine, softgel capsule (gelatin, glycerin, water, carob), sunflower oil, beeswax and soy lecithin. |
| Nutricology DHEA 10 (Tablets) | Dehydroepiandrosterone, micosolle, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, aerosil, magnesium stearate, povidone. |
| Nutricology DHEA 15 (Tablets) | Dehydroepiandrosterone, micosolle, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, aerosil, magnesium stearate. |
| Nutricology DHEA 25 Micronized Lipid Matrix (Tablets) | Dehydroepiandrosterone, micosolle, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, cab-o-sil, magnesium stearate. |
| Olympian Labs Inc. DHEA (Capsules) | DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), microcrystalline cellulose (plant fiber), rice flour, ascorbyl palmitate, and silica. |
| Powder City DHEA (Powder) [now out of business] | Pure DHEA powder. A COA is available for a recent batch. |
| Pure Encapsulations DHEA (Veggie Capsules) | DHEA (micronized), hypo-allergenic plant fiber (cellulose from pesticide-free Southern pine, probably hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), vegetarian capsule (cellulose from pesticide-free Southern pine, probably hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, water). |
| Source Naturals 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite (Tablets) | 7-oxo DHEA acetate, microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid and magnesium stearate. |
| Superior Source DHEA (Tablets) | Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), lactose (milk) and acacia gum. |
| Thorne Research DHEA-25 (Veggie Capsules) | Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose (derived from cellulose) capsule, leucine, silicon dioxide. |
| Thorne Research Dehydrone-15 (Veggie Capsules) | Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose (derived from cellulose) capsule, leucine, silicon dioxide. |
