Pregnenolone

How Safe is Pregnenolone?
Pregnenolone is an exciting supplement because it has no known toxicity according to many prominent doctors such as neurobiologist Eugene Roberts. Pregnenolone is also commonly taken with DHEA to enhance the effectiveness of DHEA supplementation.

Although DHEA is the most abundant naturally-occurring hormone in the human body, the real "Mother Hormone" is pregnenolone, not DHEA. The internal synthesis of steroid hormones begins when the body converts cholesterol to pregnenolone, creating the basic hormonal substance. From pregnenolone, there are two major pathways: one toward DHEA and one toward progesterone. The hormones in the progesterone pathway, including aldosterone, cortisol and progesterone itself, are not directly derivable from DHEA. This means that although DHEA can be a remarkable help in the case of DHEA, estrogen, or testosterone deficiency, the truly balancing hormonal substance is pregnenolone. In fact, even when taking DHEA, better results may be obtained by taking pregnenolone as well.

Pregnenolone levels, like DHEA levels, decline with age. It is present in young people of both sexes at a very high level, in part due to the fact that it is one of our basic defenses against the harmful side effects that an imbalance of even our natural hormones can produce. For instance, when there is an abundance of pregnenolone, the side effects of excessive cortisol or estrogen are prevented or minimized. By the age of 30, men and women typically produce 30 to 50 mg. of pregnenolone a day. Taking pregnenolone does not cause masculinizing effects in women, like high levels of DHEA can, because it is much less likely to increase testosterone levels.

Recent studies indicate that it may also be the most potent and quick-acting brain nutrient ever found, working in part through its impact on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the brain. It blocks the inhibitory amino acids glycine and GABA, helping to balance excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system. As early as the 1940's, human studies demonstrated that it improved performance of ordinary physical and mental tasks, and we now know why: pregnenolone is one of the major hormones in the brain . It is concentrated there, and some of it is produced by certain brain cells. It continues it's basic role even here, protecting brain cells from injury caused by fatigue. It likely has other important roles in the brain which we have yet to discover.

According to Peat, pregnenolone very quickly helps fatigued, stressed people regain their ability to handle stress, sometimes with a single dose. He has noticed that it can keep acting for as long as a week, and he theorizes that absorption continues along the intestine and "recycles" it in the body. It may even improve the body's ability to produce its own pregnenolone. It also tends to improve function of the thyroid and other glands. It can have a calming effect on the emotions, giving a mood of resilience and an ability to confront challenges. Also, people have noticed that pregnenolone has a "face-lifting" action, produced by improved circulation to the skin, and by an actual contraction of some muscle-like cells in the skin. A similar effect can improve joint mobility in arthritis, tissue elasticity in the lungs, oxygen depletion in emphysema, and even eye conditions, including the bulging eyes of Graves disease.

The conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone is aided by the presence of sufficient vitamin A, vitamin E, thyroid hormone, copper, and light, and can be blocked by too much estrogen, X-rays, ultraviolet light, unsaturated oils, and iron. From reports we have heard, it seems to be easily absorbed when taken orally. Of the many supplements which are important components of a good health plan, pregnenolone stands out as one of the best. It is a natural nutritional substance that is powerfully beneficial and yet utterly safe. If you are taking any adrenal hormones, you may want to take pregnenolone along with them.

What does it do?
Pregnenolone serves as a precursor to other hormones, including dehydroepiandrosterone ( DHEA ) and progesterone.

The functions of pregnenolone in the body are not well known. It has been suggested the role of pregnenolone in the body is to serve as a "mother steroid" (precursor hormone). Aside from that role, it has no known functions in the body.

Many effects of pregnenolone on the nervous system have been studied. Rat studies indicate powerful memory-enhancing effects, far beyond that of other neuroactive substances. 3 4 In healthy men aged 20 to 30, administration of pregnenolone (1 mg daily) was found to improve sleep quality and decrease intermittent wakefulness.

It has been suggested this hormone may play a role in the neuroendocrine response to stress. In a study of airplane pilots subjected to stress, administration of pregnenolone (25 mg twice daily) improved performance without causing adverse side effects. 6 In a study of the stress response in rats, an increase in anxiety was observed following administration of pregnenolone. The researchers suggested this was a beneficial response during a stressful period and was initiated through the nervous system.

In a study of rats subjected to spinal cord injury, administration of pregnenolone in combination with the anti-inflammatory medication indomethacin (Indocin®) and an immune-modulating substance (bacterial lipopolysaccharide) promoted recovery of nerve function. The effect was more pronounced with combination therapy than with any one of these substances given singly or in combinations of two. Pregnenolone has not been studied in humans with spinal cord injuries.

Pregnenolone appears to exhibit an antagonistic effect on the calming receptors in the brain (gamma-amino butyric acid [ GABA ] receptors), resulting in an excitatory effect. It is possible this alteration in nervous system transmission could contribute to seizure activity.

Steroid hormones are known to affect mood and behavior via effects on the nervous system. In people with either current depression or a history of depression, pregnenolone in the cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain) was significantly lower, than levels in healthy people. In addition, it was found that patients with active depression had lower levels of pregnenolone compared with those with a prior history of depression.

In a double-blind study of elderly women with wrinkles, daily application of a 0.5% pregnenolone acetate cream improved the visible wrinkling of the skin. When the treatment was discontinued, the benefit was not maintained. Because the results were only temporary, it is suggested the beneficial effect of the cream was due to improved hydration of the skin.

Researchers have reported on the use of pregnenolone in a variety of rheumatologic diseases. In a study of pregnenolone therapy (intramuscular injection, 50–600 mg daily) for rheumatoid arthritis, six of eleven people experienced moderate to marked improvement in symptoms of joint pain and joint mobility. The symptom improvement was apparent two to four days after therapy was initiated. In a study of 13 adults with osteoarthritis , pregnenolone therapy reduced the pain and improved the range of motion in seven of the study participants. Pain recurred when therapy was discontinued. In a person who suffered from gouty arthritis that was unresponsive to conventional medications, pregnenolone therapy resulted in a dramatic response within three days of initiating therapy. This patient received 300 mg daily of pregnenolone (by intramuscular injection) for four weeks, followed by 200 mg weekly of pregnenolone as a maintenance amount. This study of pregnenolone therapy in rheumatologic diseases also reports a substantial benefit in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis , and scleroderma. Of the 59 people reported in this paper, the only adverse effect was redness or pain at the site of injection. No systemic adverse effects were reported.