INDEX dehydroepiandrosterone

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) is inversely associated with cardiovascular death in males but not females. DHEA-S correlated positively with HDL-C and negatively with LDL-C, and the mean atherogenic index in a cross-sectional study in men and women (345). An early cardiovascular involvement was detected in severely obese normoten-sive premenopausal women with hyperinsulinaemia and low DHEA-S, even in the absence of other well-known CVD risk factors (346). 

The rate of aromatization of various substances may be summarized (Hayano et al., 1960 Ryan, 1960) setting that of J -androstenedione at an index of 100. Testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone, 100 19-hydroxy-d -androstenedione and 19-oxo-androstenedione, 110 to 120 17-methyltestosterone (product 17-methylestradiol), 44 d -an-drostadiene-3,17-dione, J - -androstadiene- 17j3-ol-3-one, 6jS-hydroxy-J -androstenedione (product 6/3-hydroxyestrone), 2j8-hydroxytesto-sterone (product 2-hydroxyestradiol), and 19-nortestosterone, 20 to 25. A large number of other steroids tested were less efficiently aromatized. 

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