By Dr. Tsutomu Higashi - orthomolecular doctor and Master in Longevity Science - Site: https://www.drhigashi.com.br/
Pregnenolone is an abundant brain hormone that can help with memory processes and is a precursor (builder) of most steroid hormones (sex and adrenal).
In addition to its function as a precursor to our main sex and adrenal hormones, pregnenolone has a neurotransmitter function and stimulates neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons), which has been proven in animal studies because, contrary to what the old neuroscientists claimed, the brain is capable of forming new neurons.
Pregnenolone is the most important hormone in the human body because, according to human physiology and biochemistry, it is a fundamental molecule for the formation of hormones essential for healthy adult life. It is responsible for the formation of oestradiol, progesterone, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and testosterone. It is also found in abundance in the mitochondria of nerve cells and the adrenal gland. Like most anabolic (tissue-forming) hormones, it begins to decline after the age of 30.
To understand the history of pregnenolone, we must go back to the 1940s, a time marked by the discovery of the synthesis of steroid hormone molecules, including pregnenolone. After its synthesis in 1940, the first clinical studies showed that pregnenolone has the ability to reduce fatigue, inflammatory pain, stress and increase concentration.
In 1950, Dr. Edward Anderson - a renowned neurophysiologist - published in the Journal of Endocrinology the following sentence: “Pregnenolone seems to have clear benefits and deserves the attention of the medical community, in addition to the fact that no adverse effects on endocrine physiology have been evidenced, and its action has shown promise in the treatment of diseases related to the aging process.”.
Two observations: without cholesterol, there are no steroid hormones; pregnenolone is the precursor of the most important hormones in the human body.
Mysteriously, shortly after this article, research into pregnenolone ceased. Why? The answer is simple: patent law does not allow exclusive marketing of molecules that are identical to the human body. Pregnenolone is a molecule that is difficult to modify so that it can be marketed as a molecule different from its original form in the body.
At the same time, cortisol was discovered, which, compared to pregnenolone, is easy to modify in the laboratory and consequently easier to patent as an exclusive and different molecule. Today, there are several forms of non-bioidentical cortisol available on the market, including: hydrocortisone acetate, prednisolone, betamethasone, among others.
In this way, pregnenolone was forgotten, and the various cortisol derivatives were marketed on a large scale, becoming, in fact, a commercial success over time.
Dr. John Morley of the University of Missouri, a respected researcher in steroid hormones, says: “Pregnenolone has undoubtedly shown extremely encouraging properties over time. The dark side is that the pharmaceutical industry has no interest in industrializing it because it can't be patented and therefore doesn't make a profit.”
Recent research from Harvard University has shown that pregnenolone secretion peaks (17.5 mg/day) around the age of 20 and that, from the age of 30, its secretion declines dramatically. Around the age of 60, its secretion decreases sevenfold (2.5 mg/day) compared to that observed at the age of 20.
The best part of this story is that, when this molecule was almost completely forgotten, new research in the field of medicine anti-aging (anti-aging medicine) and neuroscience have rescued studies on its capacity in the cell regeneration process.
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