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To the Editor.— Several steroidal hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) commercial products have become available in the United States as so-called dietary supplements. However, DHEA is not a food; it does not occur naturally in the human food chain, and no foodstuff can mimic the physiologic or pharmacological consequences evoked by DHEA, whether endogenously secreted or exogenously administered.¹ As dietary supplements, these products do not require evaluation for safety and efficacy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products do not have to be manufactured in compliance with the FDA's current Good Manufacturing Practices, nor do they have to meet quality control standards expected of approved drugs.^2-3

To assess the accuracy of the manufacturers' label claims, we analyzed DHEA products available to the public at health food stores in the United States for the presence and total content of DHEA. Three randomly chosen dosage forms from each of the products . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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