EFFECT OF MEALS ON SERUM DHEA

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DHEA is a hormone made in the adrenal gland that appears to protect people from heart attacks. At this time little is known about those factors that control the level of this hormone in the blood. One condition that stimulates the adrenal gland is the consumption of a meal. Hence, it was anticipated that when a person ate, his blood level of DHEA should rise. However, the Principal Investigator found in preliminary studies, that the level actually goes down with meals. Others have shown that insulin enhances the clearance (or removal) of DHEA from the serum. It is often reasoned that the decrease in serum DHEA is caused by the rise in insulin of a meal. The goal of this project is to test this hypothesis by monitoring the fall of DHEA and comparing it with the increase in insulin in response to a standard meal.