Chen et al. (2016) — DHEA Supplementation with WBV in Mice: Study Summary

Study Details

Study: Dehydroepiandrosterone Supplementation Combined with Whole-Body Vibration Training Affects Testosterone Level and Body Composition in Mice

Authors: Chen WC, Chen YM, Huang CC, Tzeng YD

Institution: Chang Gung University of Science and Technology; Linkou-Chang Gung Memorial Hospital; National Taiwan Sport University; Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital

Journal: International Journal of Medical Sciences (Ivyspring)

Year: 2016

DOI: 10.7150/ijms.16132

Study type: Randomised controlled trial — animal study

Population: Male C57BL/6 mice, divided into four groups: sedentary controls (SC), DHEA supplementation alone (10.2 mg/kg), WBV training alone (5.6 Hz, 2 mm, 0.13 g), and combined WBV + DHEA for 6 weeks

Plain-English Summary

Researchers examined whether combining dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation with whole-body vibration (WBV) training would affect body composition, exercise performance, and testosterone levels in young-adult mice. DHEA is a naturally occurring hormone that declines with age.

DHEA supplementation alone significantly increased body weight, muscle weight, testosterone levels, and glycogen stores in liver and muscle but did not improve exercise performance. The combined WBV + DHEA group showed different results: compared to DHEA alone, the combination reduced body weight gain, lowered testosterone levels, and decreased serum lactate and ammonia after exercise. The researchers concluded that WBV training may inhibit the testosterone-elevating effects of DHEA supplementation in mice.

What Researchers Examined

• Body weight and composition (muscle weight, fat pad weight, organ weights)
• Exercise performance (forelimb grip strength, exhaustive swimming time)
• Serum biochemistry after 15-min swimming exercise (lactate, ammonia, glucose, CK, BUN)
• Testosterone levels
• Glycogen content in liver and muscle

Key Findings

DHEA supplementation alone significantly increased body weight, muscle weight, testosterone, and glycogen stores, but did not improve exercise performance. The addition of WBV training to DHEA supplementation attenuated these increases particularly reducing testosterone elevation and body weight gain compared to DHEA alone.

Methodology Notes

This is an animal study. Findings from mouse research cannot be directly applied to humans. The study is primarily of mechanistic interest documenting how WBV and DHEA interact in mammalian physiology. DHEA is not approved for anti-aging or performance enhancement in most jurisdictions.

Full Citation

Chen WC, Chen YM, Huang CC, Tzeng YD. (2016). Dehydroepiandrosterone Supplementation Combined with Whole-Body Vibration Training Affects Testosterone Level and Body Composition in Mice. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 13(10), 730740. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.16132

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