PREGNENOLONE

   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

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