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 SERVICESREFERENCE DOCS
INFORMATION
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Manufacturing hormons |
How do you “manufacture” hormones? |
| Hormones used as supplements are produced by an industrial manufacturing process. Are they, therefore, truly identical to those produced by our bodies? One example is how DHEA is manufactured. There are two manufacturing processes: one by hemi-synthesis, which is the most common, and the other by total synthesis. |
| Hemi-synthesis is performed by extracting diosgenin, a molecule of sapogenin steroids from a vegetable source called dioscorea villosa, or yam (a plant from the yam or "sweet potato family"). The diosgenin molecule can also be extracted from other vegetables, but yams are its richest source. Diosgenin is therefore the main ingredient of DHEA. It then undergoes certain enzyme transformations to become true DHEA molecules. It is important to know that the enzymes that can carry out the transformation of diosgenin into DHEA are not synthesized by the human body. Taking "natural" (non-modified) diosgenin has therefore nothing to do with using DHEA. Be careful if you come across the terms "natural DHEA" or "DHEA precursor": these products have absolutely no effect on your body and you are simply being misled by the product marketer. |
| The other procedure consists in manufacturing the DHEA molecule by splitting acetic acid, a very simple molecule. Total synthesis is still not very common and means that DHEA can be produced without having to import large quantities of yams. |
| There is an ongoing battle between these two methods. DHEA produced through hemi-synthesis is almost 100% pure. At ANA, to be exact, it is 99.2% pure. Total synthesis likewise allows 100% purity; however, there can be no doubt that this method involves the same efficiency gap that exists between synthesized vitamin C and vitamin C from real oranges. |
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