7-Keto DHEA (7-oxo-DHEA) is a compound related to the hormone DHEA, usually sold as 3-acetyl-7-oxo-DHEA. It is marketed to boost metabolism and support weight loss, and small studies have looked at its safety and its effect on resting metabolic rate.
Also known as: 7-keto, 7-oxo-DHEA, 3-acetyl-7-oxo-DHEA, 7-Keto-DHEA.
7-Keto DHEA has no intake value or upper limit, and there is no NIH fact sheet for it. The safety study (Davidson 2000) gave healthy men 50 mg a day and 100 mg a day for 7 days each, then 200 mg a day for 28 days. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names 7-Keto-DHEA, along with DHEA (prasterone), under S1.1 anabolic androgenic steroids, prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.
In a placebo-controlled safety study of 22 healthy men (Davidson 2000), 3-acetyl-7-oxo-DHEA at up to 200 mg a day did not change lab values, vital signs or hormone levels, including testosterone, estradiol and thyroid hormone, compared with placebo. In a 7-day crossover trial of 40 adults with overweight on a calorie-restricted diet (Zenk 2007), resting metabolic rate fell 3.9% on placebo and rose 1.4% on 7-Keto; no serious side effects were reported.
These studies were small and short, and we found no long-term safety data. Athletes subject to drug testing should treat it as a banned substance.
In the Davidson 2000 study, 3-acetyl-7-oxo-DHEA itself was not found in the blood; it was quickly converted to 7-oxo-DHEA sulfate, which peaked about 2.2 hours after a dose and had a half-life of about 2.17 hours. Because those figures describe the breakdown product, not the supplement itself, we do not list them as a half-life.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator