← Blood tests
Cortisol / DHEA-S Ratio
Specialistalso —
What it isA ratio of catabolic stress hormone (cortisol) to anabolic adrenal reserve (DHEA-S) that captures the balance between stress and resilience.
DoesIndexes net adrenal output direction — catabolic versus anabolic.
GoodA low ratio signals balanced adrenal with robust reserve.
BadA high ratio reflects chronic stress dominance over reserve and tracks accelerated biological aging, immune dysfunction, and depression.
- Standard
- No standard cutoff.
- Optimal
- 0.015–0.04 (lower is good)
- Modifiers
- Driven by both components.
How to optimize
- Lifestyle
- Stress management, sleep, resistance training.
- Diet
- Adequate calories.
- Supplements
- Ashwagandha (600mg/day), DHEA (25–50mg/day if low), phosphatidylserine.
- Peptides
- —
- Drugs
- —
Phosphatidylserine (PS)AshwagandhaDHEA
Reference ranges are general adult lab norms; optimal ranges are editorial picks from the longevity literature — not medical advice. Always interpret results with your physician.
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