Pregnenolone, a hormone produced from cholesterol
in our bodies, has been reported to reduce stress and fatigue, and to increase
energy levels. Like other hormones, it has the capacity to influence the
most intricate biochemical functions involved in our metabolism, growth,
development, emotion and behavior.
But Pregnenolone is also different from some other hormones
in its crucial role as a "hormone balancer." Hormones are the
chemical messengers that carry out the genetic instructions we inherit
at birth. Traveling throughout the body, they communicate with the cells
in our tissues and organs to maintain normal body functions. Maintaining
the proper balance between these chemical messengers is key to our well-being.
Pregnenolone has the capacity to increase the levels of other hormones
that are deficient in our bodies and to reduce the levels of excess
circulating hormones.
Pregnenolone, which has been dubbed "the grandmother
of all steroid hormones," is the starting point from which all steroid
hormones are manufactured in our bodies. It is produced in our adrenal
glands, liver, skin, testicles, ovaries, and brain. Pregnenolone, in turn,
is converted into other hormones only as they are needed by our bodies.
Our body's production of pregnenolone decreases significantly
with age - as much as 60% from age 35 to age 75, according to one researcher.
Stress and disease can also contribute to decreases in pregnenolone. This
lowering of pregnenolone levels can create imbalances in the levels of
other hormones that regulate important bodily processes.
The conversion of pregnenolone in the body follows different
pathways, depending on individual needs. Pregnenolone may be converted
into DHEA, which in turn can be changed into androgens, estrogens and other
steroids or it may be converted into any or all of a chain of hormones
including progesterone, corticosterone, and aldosterone. These characteristics
make pregnenolone unique. Because it is only converted on an "as needed"
basis, it is not very potent, and can correct imbalances in the levels
of some hormones without affecting others. This is a great advantage over
steroid hormones such as DHEA, which may create excess estrogen and testosterone.
Pregnenolone is also distinctive because of the many
different bodily activities it can influence. As a steroid hormone precursor,
it is believed to be involved in every biochemical action known to be exhibited
by any steroid hormone. This means it may support normal memory, energy
levels, stress responses, female reproductive cycles, the body's natural
defenses, and joint and tissue function.
Some of the earliest studies of pregnenolone were performed
in the 1940's by well-known researcher Hans Selye, who concluded that pregnenolone
was helpful in reducing stress and fatigue and in increasing energy levels.
Pregnenolone is believed to affect stress levels through its influence
on the adrenal glands, which produce more steroid hormones when people
are under stress.
Pregnenolone may also affect brain chemistry in beneficial
ways. Pregnenolone has been found to inhibit the GABA receptors in
brain cells - which may result in increased mental alertness. It may also
stimulate the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in our brain cells,
which play an important role in regulating synapses, thus influencing learning
and memory. Studies are underway in a number of other areas, including
the relationship of pregnenolone to joint and tissue function.
Despite its immense potential, interest in pregnenolone
declined after its research heyday in the 1940's. Today, however, new evidence
that pregnenolone levels decline with age has spurred renewed interest
in this versatile hormone. Pregnenolone is manufactured for use as a supplement
from diosgenin, a component of wild yam. As people search for natural
solutions to age-related decline in mental function, energy and other capacities,
pregnenolone promises to be one of the important dietary supplements of
the future.
copyright 1997 Threshold Enterprises