Pills, Patches, and Shots: Can Hormones Prevent Aging?

We could not survive without hormones. They are among the most common and vital chemical messengers in the body. From head to toe, each moment of life, they signal cells to perform tasks that range from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Among their many roles, hormones help regulate body temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. In childhood, they help us “grow up.” In the teen years, they are the driving force behind puberty. But what influence, if any, the natural decline in some hormones has on the aging process in middle and late life is unclear. Although a few proponents are convinced that hormone supplements can favorably alter the aging process and have advocated their widespread use, the scientific evidence supporting this premise is, for the most part, sketchy.

For more than a decade, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the Federal Government’s National Institutes of Health, has supported and conducted studies of replenishing hormones to find out if they may help reduce frailty and improve function in older people. These studies have focused on hormones known to decline as we grow older:

The results from these NIA-sponsored studies and other research projects likely will improve our understanding of the pros and cons of hormone supplementation. Until the results of these studies are compiled, analyzed, and a consensus among scientists is reached, recommendations to use supplemental hormones and hormone-like molecules to influence the aging process and health problems associated with aging should be viewed with skepticism. It is not yet known, for instance, how much is too much or too little, and when or whether hormone supplements should be taken at all.

Until more is known about DHEA, melatonin, and hGH, consumers should view them with a good deal of caution and doubt. Despite what advertisements or stories in the media may claim, hormone supplements have not been proven to prevent aging. Some harmful side effects already have been discovered and additional research may uncover others.

More is known about oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, and people with genuine deficiencies of these hormones should consult with their doctors about supplements. Meanwhile, people who choose to take any hormone supplement without a doctor’s supervision should be aware that these supplements appear to have few clear-cut benefits for healthy individuals, and no proven influence on the aging process.

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