The Mother of All Hormones

Pregnenolone (3-alpha-hydroxy-5-beta-pregnen-20-one) is considered the mother of all steroid hormones. It is produced in many places within the body, including the adrenals, brain, liver, skin, testicles and ovaries. Production of pregnenolone usually peaks during youth and begins to gradually decline with age.

Pregnenolone is a precursor hormone to many downstream hormones, includingDHEA, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone and cortisol. It is vital in promoting homeostasis within the body by allowing the body to decide which hormones it wants to build depending on the body’s physiological needs.

Pregnenolone can help support:

• Sexual Function*

• Healthy Body Composition*

• Appropriate Stress Responses*

• Immune Function*

• Fluid Balance*

• Blood Pressure*

• Cognition, Memory & Mood*

• Vision*

Today, many Americans experience high levels of stress trying to meet unrealistic expectations and not taking proper care of their physical and mental well-being. There is a limited supply of pregnenolone in the body and during prolonged periods of stress, much of pregnenolone is used to build the stress hormone cortisol. As a result, other hormones cannot be built in sufficient quantities to promote optimal health. This phenomenon is known as the “Pregnenolone Steal.” Supplemental pregnenolone should be used after completing laboratory testing under the supervision of a qualified healthcare practitioner. Pregnenolone can provide the body with more of the “building blocks” it needs to create the necessary hormones to help promote well-being.

Pregnenolone Research

An eight week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with participants taking 50 mg of pregnenolone showed significant reductions in visual attention deficits along with a significant improvement in visual and sustained attention.¹ Another eight week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed those receiving 30 mg of pregnenolone had an improvement in working memory performance, attention, and saw significant reductions in positive symptom scores.²

Individuals with mood disorders are often shown to have lower pregnenolone levels compared to controls3. Pregnenolone is reported to have a beneficial effect on neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity, helping improve cognitive performance and mood regulation.⁴

In one study, pregnenolone showed a significant decrease in negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.⁵ An 8 week randomized, controlled trial demonstrated pregnenolone’s ability to improve functional capacity in schizophrenic patients, significantly increase serum pregnenolone levels, and was shown to be well tolerated.⁶

Citations:

1. Kreinin, A., Bawakny, N., & Ritsner, M. S. Adjunctive pregnenolone ameliorates the cognitive deficits in recent-onset schizophrenia: An 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

2. Vallée, M., Mayo, W., & Le Moal, M. (2001). Role of pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and their sulfate esters on learning and memory in cognitive aging.Brain Research Reviews,37(1), 301-312.

3. Ritsner, M., Maayan, R., Gibel, A., & Weizman, A. (2007). Differences in blood pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone levels between schizophrenia patients and healthy subjects.European neuropsychopharmacology,17(5), 358-365.

4. Ritsner, M. S. Pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and schizophrenia: alterations and clinical trials. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2010; 16(1):32-44).

5. Marx, C. E., Bradford, D. W., Hamer, R. M., Naylor, J. C., Allen, T. B., Lieberman, J. A., ... & Kilts, J. D. (2011). Pregnenolone as a novel therapeutic candidate in schizophrenia: emerging preclinical and clinical evidence.Neuroscience,191, 78-90.

6. Marx, C. E., Lee, J., Subramaniam, M., Rapisarda, A., Bautista, D. C., Chan, E., ... & Chong, S. A. (2014). Proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial of pregnenolone in schizophrenia.Psychopharmacology,231(17), 3647-3662.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.