Key to slim, strong and energized

Wouldn’t you love to burn fat, build muscle and have energy to spare? You can!—just by optimizing your body’s levels of DHEA. “DHEA has been dubbed the ‘master hormone’ because it’s the most abundant hormone in the body, and it’s used to produce other hormones that enhance mood and metabolism,” notes Fred Pescatore, MD. Plus, research suggests lifting DHEA boosts energy by 50%. And while levels of the hormone dip by up to 70% between our 20s and 50s, these tips make it easy to correct a shortfall

- Melissa Gotthardt

Snack on a handful of nuts

Love topping salads (or sundaes!) with nuts, or simply enjoying the crunchy gems as a snack? Good for you—and your DHEA levels! Just 1⁄2 cup of almonds, cashews or peanuts supplies 200 to 320 mg. of magnesium, a mineral that’s critical for DHEA production. In fact, a study in Biological and Trace Elements Research found that women who shored up their stores of the mineral upped their DHEA levels by 27% within eight weeks. Other tasty magnesium-rich foods: leafy greens, avocados and dark chocolate.

Soak up the sunshine

Vitamin D activates the enzymes needed to make DHEA. That’s why a study in