Dehydroepiandrosterone and exercise in golden hamsters.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) are adrenal androgens that have been associated with a sense of well-being in humans. We describe two experiments done to test the hypothesis that an increase in DHEA or DHEAS secretion is associated with the inclination to exercise using a hamster model. In the first experiment, morning blood samples were obtained from adult male golden hamsters at various intervals after being placed in cages with (EX group) or without (SED group) access to running wheels.