The health claims on potential weight loss benefits are not supported by solid evidence.

[3] In particular, 7-Keto-DHEA is marketed (also as 7-oxo-DHEA) to be more effective than DHEA for inducing heat production (thermogenesis)[5] to be used in weight loss: because dieting is usually accompanied by reduced resting metabolic rate, obese persons may benefit from using 7-keto-DHEA when dieting due to increased metabolic rate.

[3] 7-Keto-DHEA has also been marketed by alternative medicine providers as a treatment of adrenal fatigue, a pseudo-scientific term with no scholarly basis.

The FDA has proposed that 7-Keto-DHEA be included among substances banned from use in compounded drugs.

[8][9] The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lists 7-keto-DHEA as a prohibited anabolic agent.