A truly effect skincare product or protocol must address the body as a whole, taking into account the diet, environment, lifestyle, digestive function and hormonal environment of a person. Ultimately, it is our hormones, which that dictate the health of our skin and body as a whole. Everything from diet and environment to digestive function effects our hormonal balance, and therefore our skin.
For optimal skin wellness, we want a balance of what we refer to as “youth hormones” to stress hormones, where the youth hormones greatly outnumber the stress hormones.
Of the several health-promoting hormones, there is one hormone that may be of of particular interest for those who desire youthful, stress-resistant skin. This is a hormone that is less commonly discussed in mainstream health, which is the youth-steroid known as pregnenlone.
What is Pregnenolone?
Pregnenolone is a steroid hormone precursor that is synthesized in a couple different steroidogenic tissues, such as the gonads and adrenals but most abundantly in the brain. As a “steroid precursor”, pregnenolone acts as a building-block substance (like cholesterol) for the production of other steroid hormones, including progesterone, DHEA and testosterone.
There is not as much modern day research on pregnenolone as there could be, likely because there isn’t much money to be made by it. However, there are physiologists from earlier times that have discovered the numerous, important roles of the hormone. For example, pregnenolone exerts its own powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-stress molecules, which help regulate immune balance in inflammatory states.
Pregnenolone and its metabolic derivatives have been shown to exert many potent theraputic effects in the brain, including enhanced memory, learning, and other cognitive abilities. It has even been found to reverse depressive disorders, and the toxic effects of stress on the brain itself. In fact, pregnenolone supplementation has even been found to reverse neurodegeneration caused by stress, mostly by suppressing the secretion of pro-flammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). 1
Pregnenolone’s anti-stress and anti-inflammatory properties do not stop at the brain. In fact, pregnenolone is highly protective to the skin tissue as well, blocking the destructive effects of cortisol (stress hormone). When elevated, cortisol can catabolize skin tissue, causing wrinkling and skin aging. Pregnenolone can inhibit this from occuring, thus having a powerful anti-aging effect on the skin. We’ll talk more about this later.
Signs & Symptoms of a Pregnenolone Deficiency
As the basic precursor steroid to many other hormones in the body, a deficiency in pregnenolone will lead to steroid and hormonal deficiencies. Low pregnenolone will most likely lead to low DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, etc. If you’re someone who shows “low hormone” production across the board, it is likely related to a pregnenolone deficiency, which is caused correctable factors that we will discuss later.
Since a lack of pregnenolone can cause a loss of metabolic integrity, you could likely relate low pregnenolone to nearly every disease. And from our research, pregnenolone deficiencies are usually apart of most pathologies. However, according to research, insufficient levels of pregnenolone lead to inflammatory diseases, brain aging, cognitive decline, as well as skin aging, adrenal hyperplasia (enlarged adrenals), sexual dysfunction, t3 syndrome (low t3), fibromyalgia, insomnia, depression, frequent migraines and more. 2, 3
What is Pregnenolone?
Pregnenolone has been researched as far back as 1934, but for the most part it was considered to be an inactive chemical. However, this conclusion came about from experiments with the hormone in young, healthy animals. When you inject pregnenolone into an animal that is already producing large amounts of pregnenolone, it does not have much of an effect.
However, later researchers found that if you use pregnenolone on an older animal lacking pregnenolone, that it it exerts very powerful and noticeably beneficial effects. For example, the use of of pregnenolone in elderly people with low pregnenolone can greatly improve memory, skin youthfulness and energy. Furthermore, human studies from the 1940s have found that pregnenolone supplementation can improve performance of ordinary tasks.
So, pregnenolone is typically present at very high levels in young people of both sexes. It’s basic purpose is to protect the developing body from the harmful effects of the other natural hormones that are produced rapidly in youth. For example, in youth both cortisone and estrogen can be elevated from puberty. These hormones can be dangerous if they rise to high; however, so long as there is an abundance of pregnenolone, their damaging effects are inhibited or reduced.
In a healthy person, pregnenolone is produced in the mitochondria from another hormone precursor substance, cholesterol. In the mitochondria, cholesterol synergizes with vitamin A to pregnenolone. Once manufactured, pregnenolone leaves the mitochondria in order to not inhibit its own synthesis. Like progesterone, pregnenolone stimulates its own synthesis once it leaves the mitochondria. This is important because it means that supplementing with bio-identical hormones will not suppress your body’s ability to make it, on the contrary, it will support it.
Of the various tissues that produce pregnenolone, the brain contains the highest amount. This is likely due to the immense protection pregnenolone serves to the body’s most precious organ. However, brain levels of pregnenolone start to decrease around age thirty by 5%, increasing the need for dietary, lifestyle and even supplemental therapies to support pregnenolone levels as our bodies age. In fact, stress, illness and aging all greatly increase the need for pregnenolone as well as the effects and benefits one will reap from pregnenolone supplementation.
Benefits of Pregnenolone
- Repairs Enzyme Activity: Our bodies naturally produce both digestive and metabolic enzymes for numerous functions. Enzymes are protein chemicals that carry energy factors required for every chemical action, and reaction that occurs in our body. Pregnenolone has the ability to repair enzyme activity, which benefits us in numerous ways. For example, one study found that adding pregnenolone to a mitochondrial suspension increased the enzyme (P450) activity needed to convert cholesterol into pregnenolone, amongst many other important physiological functions.
- Anti-Toxic: Pregnenolone, the other “youth steroids”, which includes cholesterol, have a strong antitoxic effects. As mentioned, pregnenolone increases the activity of the cytochrome P450 family of enzymes, which are required for certain detoxification processes and increasing our resistance to toxins. In fact, these enzymes support the detoxification of pesticides from the body. If you grew up eating conventionally grown food, increasing pregnenolone levels or supplementation may help to rid your body of pesticide residues, which may be contributing to diseases and accelerated aging. Keep in mind, pregnenolone doesn’t increase the synthesis of these enzymes, but it stabilizes them against the proteolytic enzymes, increasing their activity.
- Cognitive Function: As a key hormone produced largely in the brain, naturally, pregnenolone supports cognitive faculties. As a matter of fact, scientific articles have found that Pregnenolone may help restore impaired memory. In experiments, researchers found that the neurosteroid pregnenolone and its sulfated derivative greatly enhanced both learning and memory in mice. As it turns out, pregnenolone sulfate positively modulates NMDA receptors and thereby improve NMDA receptor hypofunction in people with impaired cognitive function. The researchers also discovered that pregnenolone was hundred times more potent than any other memory enhancer that has been previously tested. 4
- Anti-Inflammatory: Another benefit of pregnenolone is its anti-inflammatory effects. Studies have found that pregnenolone can successfully treat treat rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnenolone has been used as an anti– inflammatory agent and a steroid for well-being for several decades, going back as far as 1930. In general, steroids exhibit anti–inflammatory properties by binding to their intracellular receptors. More specifically, pregnenolone has ben found to decrease the production of the pro-flammatory cytokine TNF-α in a dose dependent manner. This inflammatory molecule is at the root of hair loss, skin aging and several other inflammatory riven conditions. 5
- Protects Against Stress: The most important effect of pregnenolone is to protect the body from the classic effects of toxic levels of cortisol. When chronically elevated , cortisol can cause euphoria, insomnia, hot flashes, osteoporosis, diabetes, brain aging, hair loss, skin aging and all of the other signs of premature aging. Pregnenolone itself blocks the destructive effects of high cortisol, but it also works to increase progesterone levels. Progesterone is the primary anti-stress hormone and when in normal range, decreases the need for and use of cortisol. In the 1950’s, pregnenolone was tested on patients with exophthalmis (bulging eyes) from Graves’ disease. After use, patients found that their eyes quickly returned to a normal position in their sockets. This is usually a symptom of “hyperthyroidism” but it is actually a condition driven by overactive adrenal glands, producing too much cortisol and adrenaline. This effect demonstrates a possible cortisol and adrenaline lowering effect of pregnenolone.
- Improves Thyroid: The best way to treat stress is to optimize thyroid function. Wen the thyroid is low, the adrenal glands overcompensate. One of the ways pregnenolone works to correct stress symptoms is by increasing the production and conversion of t3 (the active thyroid hormone). In study, allopregnanolone was found to activate the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor (GPBAR1, or TGR5). One effect of this receptor is to activate deiodinases, the enzyme needed convert the hormone thyroxine (T4) to the active hormone triiodothyronine (T3). This is beneficial for people with a slow hypothyroidism, Cushing’s and Addison’s disease, as well as anyone with symptoms of stress and aging.The thyroid hormone dictates hair growth, skin wellness and the entire rate of metabolism (energy production). For more on healing thyroid problems, be sure to check out our Perfect Thyroid course. 6
- Reverse Skin Aging: Skin aging is a result of elevated cortisol (stress), oxidative damage and inflammation. Pregnenolone works to inhibit skin aging at all of these important points. In addition to inhibiting stress and inflammation, pregnenolone applied topically increases microcirculation to the skin improving skin wellness. It also stimulates and tightens the muscle-like cels in the skin, having a natural face-lift effect. This is why we use pure, bio-identical pregnenolone in Lush, our face-lifting emollient.
How to Improve Pregnenolone Levels Naturally
Pregnenolone is made in the body from two natural substances, vitamin A & cholesterol. These two substances though are often deficient in most people due to diet and stress. Both are naturally occurring in foods that have been demonized by the media, such as butter, ghee, meat, eggs and dairy. This is one reason that vegans often experience health issues; there are no plant-sources of cholesterol, and vitamin A from plants is in a non-bioavailable form that is poorly converted by the liver into the active form (retinol), which is needed to make pregnenolone and other hormones.
If you suspect low pregnenolone levels, you must ensure you get adequate amounts of cholesterol, vitamin A, and that your thyroid is in good shape. If any of these are inadequate, you will most likely have a less than adequate levels of pregnenolone.
In addition to these fundamental tips, you can also supplement with a bio-identical pregnenolone. Depending on your age and gender, supplementation dose varies. Generally speaking, pregnenolone supplements are not needed in younger, healthier people. People over the age of 30 will see the most benefit from pregnenolone supplements. The most important thing is that you get a quality, pure bio-identical pregnenolone.
Pregnenolone is safer for men than progesterone supplements, since progesterone can inhibit testosterone production. In most cases, women will benefit form pregnenolone, but in some cases progesterone might be needed. Higher doses of pregnenolone such as 100-400 mg. are usually safe since pregnenolone has no hormone-like or drug-like action at all.
For those interested in pregnenolone for its beautifying, anti-aging effects, you can try Lush, which has a small amount (100 mg ~) per container.
LUSH
One of a kind facial emollient formulated with scientifically proven ingredients to help tighten and firm the skin, while preserving skin youthfulness.
