Saliva Test Results. Advice?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Okay, here’s a subject I’m not an expert on.:wink: I had a saliva testosterone test done recently. I have read about the relative merits of saliva vs blood vs urine testing in relation to bio-available testosterone. After reading an article on T nation about saliva tests I decided to get the test done. Here are my results:

My age: 32

Gender: Male(mostly…I hope)

DHEAS: 10.3(!)
DHEA5 range: 10 - 30.0 nmol/L

Testosterone: 397
Testosterone range: 100.0 - 720.0 pmol/L

I know that different labs use different systems of measurement so I have included the ranges which were not broken into age, only gender.

Here is the lab analysis comment:

"SALIVA DHEAs level is below the mean range and suggestive of the need for supplementation with 25mg of DHEA.
Maladaption if consistently elevated cortisol. Adrenal fatigue if morning and evening cortisol only elevated, or if all markers low.

SALIVA Free testosterone level is above the mean reference range and essentially adequate."

  • Can anyone provide me with some more information on this? Do these results suggest anything to those who have had similar tests/results?

I have read that DHEA supplementation may or may not have an anabolic effect and that the study that did suggest anabolic effects had the men on 1600mg a day. Is there any point/need in taking DHEA supplementation in my case?

NOTE: I am not interested in using anabolic agents for strength gains, I merely want to keep my free test levels in the normal range for obvious reasons.

2

Your blood tests only paint a VERY small picture of what overall goes on in your body, and truthfully aren’t of a whole lot of use. Plus I don’t think many of us here are very familiar with saliva readings. But, I’ll be a good sport and take a stab anyway:

Your DHEA seems to be very low–precursor to this is pregnenolone, which synthesizes from cholesterol. Do you have cholesterol issues?

I find your [assumedly] adequate testosterone levels surprising given the low DHEA. But Total T is mostly useless without E2, SHBG, or Free T values as we don’t know how much of it is actually being used by your body.

Most people agree that DHEA supplementation will not do anything good for someone who is otherwise healthy and optimized.

Biggest takeaway: How do you feel? How is your lipid profile? If the answer to both is “Good” then I’d stop here and stop chasing the rabbit down the hole, Alice…you don’t want to know where it goes…

3

If hormone production is getting rate limited by low DHEA levels, then supplementing will be helpful.

DHEA is not in the pathway for production of cortisol as is pregnenolone.

Saliva T is always free T as SHBG exists only in the blood stream.

Consider a proper male panel at lef.org, now on sale through May.

4

[quote]KSman wrote:

Saliva T is always free T as SHBG exists only in the blood stream.

[/quote]

Oops…good point…