LOS ANGELES -- Some people say a fountain of youth is possible, but others say never. NBC4's Dr. Bruce Hensel reported on details of a new study on one potential fountain of youth.

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The study is being done at the Mayo Clinic on the drug dhea. It is a chemical that our bodies have a lot of when we're young, but less of as we age.

As the sun goes up and down every day, we age and we try different things to slow down the passage of time, like peels or changes in clothes and hairstyle to help to soften some of those wrinkles.

But those are tricks. Wouldn't it be nice if we could take a pill instead?

It's a hormone called Dehydroepiandrosterone or dhea; you can buy it without a prescription.

People who tout it point out the same chemical is made by our adrenal glands. We make lots if it when we're young but it starts to decrease after age 30.

Dr. Sreekumaran Nair of the Mayo Clinic wanted to know if it was a good idea to give the hormone to older people.

"If you give dhea and bring it to the same level as young people is it going to have any beneficial effect?" asked Nair.

Nair's study published in the New England Journal Of Medicine compared people taking dhea to those who were given a placebo sugar pill

He looked at the effects on physical performance on muscle mass, muscle strength, bone density and quality of life.

The results were disappointing.

There was a minor inconsistent effect on bone density, but there were no other positive effects.

A different study done earlier at UCLA showed the drug might raise blood pressure or cause other side effects for some people.

So for now the only fountain of youth we know is healthy constant aerobic exercise, weightlifting and a healthy, low-calorie diet.

Weightlifting and walking increase bone strength. This is an important study because many people take the supplement without knowing what it will or won't do.

LINKS:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge/