Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) optimization is a controversially controversial topic among men. Some say that it’s a “bad hormone” that causes hair loss and prostate enlargement, while others praise it for being the ultimate male hormone, since it’s significantly more potent than its little brother; testosterone.
In fact, DHT has 2-3 times higher affinity to the androgen receptors and it’s known to be bound and active in the receptor sites for five times longer than testosterone. Dihydrotestosterone also has much higher androgenic activity than testosterone, whereas testosterone on the other hand has significantly higher anabolic (muscle building) activity than that of DHT.
While it’s known that overly high DHT levels – in combination with too high estrogen and the male-pattern baldness gene – are associated with scalp hair loss, it’s also known that in men with no MPB-gene, DHT levels at the top of the reference ranges are not associated with any rate of increased hair-loss (this study of 316 men actually showed that high DHT was associated with 35% LOWER risk of developing baldness).
Another claimed side-effect of high DHT is prostate enlargement (BPH), and while some studies have linked high dihydrotestosterone levels to that condition, it must also be noted that many have not found any correlation between DHT and prostate enlargement markers (even 10-fold increases in DHT were noted to have no significant effect on prostate size in this study).
Bottom line on side-effects: If you are having prostate issues and are going bald, its likely that you possess the genotype for those conditions, and that overly high DHT levels can in some (but not all) cases aggravate them. The gene explanation also makes sense, if you look at the studies which often show extreme variances between the effects of androgens on hair loss and prostate enlargement. Take this study for example where DHT was identified as a compound that had an important role in the development and progression of prostate enlargement, and compare it to this one where men rubbing 70mg/day of DHT-gel to their scrotum for 3 months showed no signs of prostate enlargement (no increases in prostate volume or PSA levels).
One factor that has always confused me about these claimed side-effects is that hair-loss and prostate problems become increasingly more common as men get older, whereas androgens are known to go down as men age. If DHT is the only culprit, why don’t all men in their 20’s have prostate problems?
If those side-effects above are possible, why would anyone purposefully want to increase DHT?;
Dihydrotestosterone is necessary for the growth of body hair and linear beard growth
Unlike testosterone, DHT cannot be converted into estrogen by the aromatase enzyme
Exogenous DHT administration is known for its mood, energy, and confidence boosting effects in men
By increasing cAMP levels in tissue, dihydrotestosterone stimulates lipolysis (fat burn) and thyroid function
Although DHT is not highly anabolic it still promotes muscle gains by increasing nervous system and muscle strength
Dihydrotestosterone and testosterone are responsible of ALL masculine body and facial characteristics (wide jaw, broad shoulders…)
Increased DHT levels are strongly linked to higher brain GABA-levels, promoting that calm “alpha male” relaxation in any situation
DHT (being the main androgen in male sexual organs) is even more potent than testosterone at promoting libido and erection quality
Condensed version? DHT makes you look, act, and feel like a damn man, even more so than testosterone.
Before we get in to ways to boost dihydrotestosterone levels, here’s how the hormone is made:
Your body produces three different types of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase (type I, II, and III).
Those enzymes then convert – varying on the type – testosterone into DHT inside the penis, testicles, skin, nervous system, and many organs such as liver, kidneys, and brain (this conversion normally occurs to 5% of the testosterone produced).
One weaker adrenal androgen – androstenedione – can also be directly converted to DHT by 5-a enzymes, this conversion however is more notable in women than men (yes women have some low amounts of DHT too).
Now that the rambles have been done, here’s finally your 20 ways to boost DHT levels naturally;
1. Drop the Fat Pounds
It has already been established in this website that being fat just doesn’t cut it for testosterone production (and a bunch for other good things in life).
You need to be at a reasonable point of lean to have your body pump out a good amount of testosterone on a daily basis, and also to make sure that the extra adipose tissue won’t convert most of that T into estrogen by increased aromatase activity.
It has been well-documented that fat men have significantly lower testosterone levels than lean men (study, study, study, study) accompanied with higher aromatase enzyme activity.
Since ~5% of the testosterone you produce converts to DHT by the actions of 5-a enzyme, it would make sense to get to around 8-14% fat percentage in order to maximize that T production, which would also lead to higher turnover to DHT, since you would simply have more to convert from.
But it doesn’t end there. Increased body fatness will also break DHT down to a weaker metabolite; 3α-diol, which is again, why you don’t want to be fat. Fatness suppresses T and DHT, and promotes estrogen production, and that’s a no-no for men.
Bottom line: Get to the “sweet spot” of 8-14% body fat, which maximizes testosterone production, reduces testosterone turnover to estrogen, and reduces DHT turnover to 3α-diol. Mind you I didn’t even have to mention the plethora of other benefits that come when you’re lean, such as: better looking body, improved insulin sensitivity, better cardiovascular health…
2. Boost that Testosterone
Like said few times above already, ~5% of your testosterone will turn over to DHT thanks to the 5-a enzyme.
Therefore logically, as your testosterone production gets higher, so does your DHT production.
Good example of this are studies of men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), these guys are administered exogenous testosterone and as a result their serum T levels as well as DHT levels increase (study, study, study).
Simply provide your body more of the “raw material” – which in this case is testosterone – and the 5-a enzymes will do the rest to convert a chunk of that to dihydrotestosterone. Simple. Effective.
This works with natural testosterone optimization, as well as synthetic alternatives (TRT). For the latter, a novel way to increase the turnover rate would be using the testosterone gel to the area of the scrotum (a method that’s proven to increase the turn over %).
NOTE: This blog is absolutely chock-full of ways to naturally increase your testosterone levels, you could start from this list of 52 evidence-based ways to boost testosterone naturally.
3. Start Lifting
Weight lifting is one of the best ways to naturally stimulate hormone production.
I have written about the effects that resistance training has on testosterone levels before on here, here, here, and here. This boost in testosterone alone is enough to improve DHT levels by increased turnover rate…
…But resistance exercise works also on skeletal muscle tissue to increase the basal DHT levels in rodents, and tissue levels of 5-a reductase and DHT in humans. So a mix of good things happen inside of your muscles when you lift.
All this while you’re getting stronger, more ripped, and healthier. Therefore resistance training is a no-brainer and every man interested in their hormonal health should practice some regularly.
NOTE : My great friend Chris Walker recently released his new book, THOR, which is a training protocol specifically designed to maximize the testosterone and DHT response and long-term hormonal adaptations of training, this goes for maximizing testosterone, DHT, and androgen receptor activity.
4. Sprint Fast
HIIT exercise or basically any type of exercise where you do quick explosive spurts is really good for testosterone, DHT, and growth hormone.
I have previously talked about HIIT training and its effect on testosterone levels here, and as you might guess the effect is as positive as it gets. Now again as ~5% of testosterone converts to DHT, this boost in testosterone alone should positively impact dihydrotestosterone levels.
Looking specifically at studies where the researchers have examined the effect of quick bouts of exercise on DHT levels, we can see that in young men DHT goes through the roof acutely after sprinting. And in another study it was noted that all anabolic/androgenic hormones skyrocket with sprints, but it has to be an all-out spurt to actually stimulate DHT production.
Here’s a good video example of a perfect DHT boosting exercise, hill sprints (courtesy of FitbyGreen):
NOTE : In THOR the bulk of “cardio” is sprinting or walking, simply because they’re so good for hormonal output. You can click here to read more about the training program.
5. Intermittent Hypoxia
Few months ago when I was searching through Pubmed for nothing special, I accidentally stumbled upon some studies about training in a low-oxygen state, aka hypoxia.
Hypoxia happens when there’s a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body…
…One example of this would be training in high altitudes, where there is naturally lower amounts of oxygen in the air. Another example would be simply holding the breath for a while or breathing into a bag, both of these are good ways to enter short-term hypoxia.
Then there’s also those goofy “altitude masks“, they probably work, but seriously who the hell wants to walk around looking like Bane in a gym?
Why hypoxia? What has this low-oxygen stuff have to do with DHT?
It has been studied in animals that intermittent hypoxia (short-term low-oxygen exposure) stimulates testosterone production by upregulating cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and testicular enzymes. It has been also shown that hypoxia activates androgen receptors in human tissue (study, study). Lastly, low-oxygen states have been shown to increase the turnover rate from testosterone to DHT in skin and hair follicles and promote growth hormone release by increasing CO2 levels of the blood.
How would one get to short-term hypoxia? That’s a good question, and honestly it’s kind of hard to answer. You could do bag breathing, or go train in a mountain like many professional athletes do. Or you could do “breath-stop” sets in the gym, where you would very slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth during movements, making your body deprived of oxygen for a short duration.
6. More Calorie, More DHT
Everyone knows that your body needs energy (calories) to maintain many of its functions. And over long-term if you suppress the intake of calories, your body will begin to slow down and shut some of the mechanisms not vital for survival.
One of these mechanisms that first takes a hit is the reproductive system, and with that, testosterone production and DHT production.
An extreme example of this can be seen from this case study following a contest preparation for natural bodybuilding competition, the ruthless low-calorie diet accompanied by huge amounts of working out resulted in near castrate level hormones.
Another study – likely more closer to normal conditions – had a group of men eating a calorie deficit (1350–2415 kcal/day) for 7-years and compared their hormones to men who ate at caloric maintenance/surplus (2145-3537 kcal/day). As to be expected, the long-term restriction of calories had caused the calorie restriction groups testosterone level to be 31% lower than the normal caloric intake guys had (the researchers didn’t test for DHT, but if T drops by that much its likely that DHT also took a hit).
The only study I found directly examining DHT levels and caloric intake was conducted on rodents, in it the researchers found out that caloric restriction was associated with significant drops in dihydrotestosterone levels.
Bottom line: If you need to lose weight, follow this guide and go on a caloric deficit until you reach 8-14% bodyfat, then return to normal maintenance calories to keep that T and DHT high. If you’re already lean, then my good man, make sure that you eat enough to support your hormones.
7. Up the Carbs
Here’s some not so good news for the low-carb folk; carbohydrates are important for both healthy testosterone and healthy DHT production.
It has been shown in many studies that diets higher in carbohydrates, result in more favorable free-testosterone to cortisol (fTC) ratio, more total testosterone, and higher 5-αlpha reductase activity.
For example, this study from Anderson et al. found that when caloric intake and fat intake are kept identical, a diet where the carbohydrate to protein ratio was kept at 2:1 showed 36% higher free-testosterone levels along with significantly reduced cortisol, when compared to a diet where the ratio was switched to 1:2. A study by Volek et al. saw similar results, eat twice as much calories from carbs as you do from protein and you will be at a “sweet spot” to increase free testosterone and lower cortisol secretion.
This effect is even more pronounced in athletes, who will see major drops in their T-levels after lowering carb intake (study, study)
One previously done study from Anderson et al. examined the effects of carbohydrate on DHT, and found out that on a high-carb diet 5-a activity and dihydrotestosterone levels will be significantly higher than those seen on diets with lower amounts of carbs.
Bottom line: A scientifically sound amount of carbs for optimal T, C, and DHT production would be to eat 2 times as much carbs as you eat protein. So 2:1 ratio, which is why you can always see me recommending ~40% calories from carbs, ~20% from protein, and ~40% from dietary fat.
8. Protein in Moderation
I know this statement always freaks out the neurotic bodybuilders who believe that protein is the be-all end-all macronutrient, but protein really is the LEAST important of the three main macronutrients when it comes to testosterone and DHT optimization.
Sure you want to get some amounts of protein because it’s vitally important for maintaining and increasing the rate of protein synthesis and muscular health, while its also known that chronic protein malnutrition leads to lowered testosterone levels and thus also lower DHT. So yes do get moderate amounts of protein…
…But again, not too much. If you paid any attention to the studies in the above subheading, you can see how it’s obvious from the studies of Anderson et al. and Volek et al. that high protein intake is able to suppress testosterone, 5-a enzymes, and DHT levels.
So like said above, try to aim for carb to protein ratio of 2:1 for optimal DHT production
NOTE: It’s worth noting that soy isolate has been found to lower dihydrotestosterone production (study, study), so if you’re not a vegan/vegetarian, consider getting the bulk of your protein from animal sources, preferably red meat.
9. Fat is Your DHT Raising Friend
Study after study has shown that increased amount of dietary fat in the diet, results in increased testosterone – and as to be expected – higher DHT levels too (study, study, study, study, study).
This is not a surprise, since the “backbone” of every steroid hormone is a 17-carbon fat molecule called “gonane”.
So I should just pound all kinds of fats to naturally boost DHT then, right?
Not exactly. The types of fats that are most commonly associated with higher testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels are the saturated fatty-acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty-acids (MUFA). When it comes to polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFA) the effect is often the complete opposite, a reduction of androgens.
When it comes to DHT, there are some in-vitro studies available on the effect of different types of fats, allow me to quote my older article;
It’s a well known fact that PUFAs, aka. polyunsaturated fatty-acids (especially the rancid ones from processed vegetable oils) lower testosterone levels, and therefore also DHT levels. PUFAs also directly inhibit the formation of 5-alpha reductase enzyme in the following inhibitory potency: Gamma-linolenic acid -> Alpha-Linolenic acid -> Linoleic-acid -> Palmitoleic-acid -> Oleic-acid -> Myristoleic-acid.
Bottom line: Since ~20% of your calories should come from protein and ~40% from carbs, the remaining ~40% shall be reserved for fats. The bulk of your fats should come from eggs, butter, animal organs, and red meat, with moderate amounts of coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados. Also for higher DHT consider minimizing the usage of all PUFAs (mostly vegetable oils), these harm your testosterone, DHT, and also thyroid.
10. The Caffeine Fix
There have been few human studies where caffeine taken before a workout has resulted in 12-21% higher testosterone levels, which is great since coffee is freaking awesome.
This small increase in testosterone should alone slightly increase the turnover amount to dihydrotestosterone, but that’s not all caffeine is capable of…
…In a rodent study, it was noted that a single caffeine administration (undisclosed amount) was able to increase 5α reductase activity by ~30% via an unknown mechanism.
Another rodent study used human equivalents of 2-4mg/kg caffeine and noted up to 57% higher DHT levels.
NOTE: One possible mechanism behind caffeine’s ability to boost T, DHT and 5-a enzyme activity is its stimulatory effect on cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which theoretically should result in improved messaging between cells and hormones, but it could also be something else, all I know is that I’ll be sure to drink my coffee <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72x72/1f609.png" alt="