Finding the right DHEA source is critical for anyone attempting to build muscle or fight back against the symptoms of declining hormones. With the wide variety of DHEA supplements available on the market, it can be confusing to determine which not only meets your needs but will be the most effective. In this article, we will explore the difference between oral DHEA supplements and topical DHEA supplements as well as provide some information about the benefits of both.
Oral DHEA Supplements
Like many other supplements, DHEA can be taken orally in a capsule form. While this makes it easy to determine your dosage amount, it typically isn’t the most effective. This is because once the capsule is ingested, a large portion of the effective DHEA is eliminated by the liver during the first pass effect. However, this does allow for DHEA-S, or DHEA Sulfate, to pass through into the bloodstream.
While it shares the same name, DHEA-S provides many different benefits from DHEA, particularly when looking at the potential for fat loss. While DHEA can be converted to DHEA-S, the process cannot work in the other direction. This means that oral DHEA supplements aren’t providing the full level of support that they could simply because the liver is filtering out the bulk of DHEA that is able to enter the bloodstream.
Topical DHEA Supplements
Through extensive medical research, scientists have found that DHEA is most successfully processed through the skin because it limits loss during the digestion process. In fact, most of the natural DHEA produced by the body is made in the skin already and serves as a sebum base for skin oils. For this reason, investing in topical DHEA supplements will generally provide more effective results than oral supplements.
When applied to the skin in a topical form, DHEA can be absorbed without the risk of converting into DHEA-S to provide the full benefits of this prohormone. Even more important, topical supplements can be applied directly to the areas where you want them to be absorbed including targeted muscle groups. This not only provides adequate absorption, but it also allows for results much more quickly than similar oral supplements.