You Can't Stop Time - Anti-Aging Products Are Useless

In our country of the United States, and in today's post-millennium culture, age is not valued. No, it is something to be feared, fought and if possible, eradicated. I suppose that's nothing new. After all, popular legend has it that what is now our state of Florida was discovered because explorer Ponce de Leon was searching for a fountain of youth. Most of us would like our age to be like the portrait of Dorian Gray in the novel by Oscar Wilde: that is, hidden away in a closet somewhere while the self we present to the world has an ever-youthful, never-aging appearance.

Baby boomers (people born between 1946-64) have driven this nation's economy since they got their first allowances. The youth culture, stamped into our national identity during the hippie years, is now just who we are. And as the baby boomers age, anti-aging products are hawked on late-night infomercials, by doctors, in department stores, and in books.

You can't go a day without seeing multiple advertisements for products to diminish wrinkles and restore a youthful glow. Microdermabrasion, laser peels, even Botox all promise a return of that young insouciance they took for granted. Ancient rock stars still tour to convince the aging that they are still hip and energetic. Viagra and similar drugs are dispensed to return men to their younger lust and performance. Sales of DHEA, marketed as an enhancer, reached $50 million last year. The FDA classifies DHEA as a supplement, which means it is not subjected to the rigorous testing that a drug must undergo.

When some doctors began touting DHEA and testosterone as a return to youthful performance and appearance, many older people jumped on the bandwagon. Even multivitamins were soon advertising that they contained DHEA. DHEA, a steroid that is a precursor to the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen, is made naturally by the body, but levels begin declining around age 25. Testosterone is available by prescription only.

Since some athletes have used both DHEA and testosterone to boost performance levels and most professional sports have banned both of them, some scientists wondered if DHEA and testosterone would aid anti-aging efforts. There was no significant testing done on these products, however, so results tended to be anecdotal.

A new study was done this year by Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the University of Padua in Italy. This study lasted over two years and followed 57 women and 87 men, all of them 60 years old or older. The women got either real DHEA or a placebo; and the men received either real DHEA or a placebo, and a testosterone skin patch or a placebo skin patch.

Blood was tested every three months. The men and women being studied were examined for such things as hormone levels, body fat, physical activity and fitness, and bone density. The participants in this anti-aging study were also given a questionnaire regarding their quality of life and their attitude.

What the study showed is perhaps a bit disheartening to the millions of Americans who have been spending money on DHEA and testosterone supplements, hoping to prolong their youth or at least their middle age. The scientists found that while levels of DHEA and testosterone levels did increase in the men and women involved in this test, the increases had little to no effect on factors like lower blood sugar, physical performance, or overall quality of life. The increased testosterone did correlate to a slight drop in body fat, but that did not create any improvement in physical strength.

There is more research to be done, of course. The testosterone levels used in the Mayo Clinic and Padua study were low. Researchers feared that higher levels would contribute to the growth of prostate cancer, as declining levels of testosterone has been linked with possible protection from this type of cancer. Some scientist also worry that higher levels of DHEA can contribute to both breast and prostate cancer, and would like the FDA to classify DHEA as a drug, instead of a supplement. As long as DHEA remains a supplement, incorrect use could ensue, and of course, it can be widely marketed as an anti-aging aid.

So, no way to turn back the clock yet, at least not with testosterone patches and DHEA supplements.