Effects of DHEA/Exercise on Bone, Muscle and Balance

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS) and yoga may mitigate or reverse the effects of aging and frailty on bone, muscle and balance loss. The mechanism of the effects may be direct - working through androgen or estrogen receptors in bone, muscle or brain. Or the effects may be indirect, countering effects of the stress response.

The specific aims of this study are:

• To determine the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) supplementation and/or Hatha yoga on muscle strength, balance, body composition and physical performance measures over 6 months in women with osteopenia and some degree of frailty
• To determine the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) supplementation and/or Hatha yoga on function (physical and cognitive), bone metabolism, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Inclusion criteria

• Women over age 65 years
• Bone mineral density t-score less than -1
• At least one of the five components of the frailty phenotype (low hand grip strength, low walking speed, low physical activity, weight loss or sense of exhaustion)
• DHEAS levels less than 550 ng/dl
• Able to come or be brought to the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) for outpatient visits
• Mammogram within the preceding 12 months

Exclusion criteria

• Disease or medication known to affect bone or muscle metabolism (i.e., Paget's disease, osteomalacia or 25OHD level less than 10 ng/dl, hyperparathyroidism: current use of corticosteroids, calcitonin, heparin, phenytoin, phenobarbital, methotrexate, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, selective estrogen receptor modulator or PTH)
• Use of androgen or estrogen in the preceding year
• Use of psychiatric medications including antipsychotic medications and SSRI
• Metastatic or advanced cancer (other than skin cancer)
• History of breast cancer
• Active cardiac ischemia by history of angina or myocardial infarction in the preceding 6 months