The internet is a gold mine when it comes to knowledge about male hormones.
And in your search for the best ways to boost testosterone, you’ve probably gone through hundreds of pages and found many efficient and natural ways to do that.
However, in the search for the best way to increase testosterone levels, men often overlook another important hormone – DHT.
DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, and it’s an androgen sex steroid that’s synthesized in the male body. An enzyme called 5α-reductase catalyzes the production of DHT when it comes into contact with testosterone.
This reaction can happen in various parts of the body – brain, hair follicles, liver, skin, seminal vesicles or the prostate gland.
This enzyme reduces the double bond of testosterone molecules, making it a more potent androgen hormone.
There are a lot of misconceptions about DHT, and it often discourages people from looking into it more.
There are a lot of people online talking about DHT causing hair loss and prostate enlargement, but more often than not these stories are based on biased research or misinterpreted studies.
Although there are some side-effects to having high DHT levels, the truth is that it’s a valuable asset when it comes to increasing your overall health and well-being.
Whereas testosterone increases your muscle building ability, DHT is the one responsible for all androgenic activity in your body.
Because it’s produced in many different places throughout your body, it’s the hormone that’s most responsible for your “manly” body and facial characteristics.
It’s necessary for promoting hair and linear beard growth, as well as other masculine characteristics, e.g. a broad and muscular jaw.
There’s also a direct correlation between DHT and increased GABA levels. GABA is a key neurotransmitter for stress relief, and it’s a very common characteristic of dominant alpha males in the animal kingdom.
It’s also more powerful than testosterone when it comes to promoting your libido and the quality of your erections.
Apart from all that, DHT also has mood and energy boosting effects in men. So, DHT isn’t some obscure testosterone by-product, but an important part of keeping your body healthy and masculine.
And although there are a lot of DHT supplements on the market, with some even offering pure DHT in the form of tablets, my recommendation is to go the natural way.
There are many different natural herbs and foods that contain DHT, and it’s very unlikely that you’ll see side-effects from the amount you consume through these natural ways mentioned below.
If you’re already hitting the weights, chances are you’re already familiar with creatine and how it can increase testosterone levels. But what you might not know is that creatine is also a powerful DHT booster.
Studies have found that daily intake of creatine monohydrate can double the concentration of DHT in your body.
There is also a large pool of evidence showing how creatine can increase physical strength and improve athletic performance which is why it’s so popular with bodybuilders.
Combine pure creatine monohydrate with any other natural DHT booster and you should start feeling the difference in no time.
Seeing how smokers usually have a very fast rate of burning fat, has prompted a lot of research and studies around nicotine.
These studies found that smokers usually have much higher DHT rates than non-smokers, and found a direct link to nicotine.
You shouldn’t take up smoking because of this, but there are ways around this harmful and addictive habit.
You can take nicotine gum or apply nicotine patches every once in a while to help boost the production of DHT but make sure this is only done very rarely to avoid the risk of addiction.
A go-to supplement for every gym-goer, zinc is also one of the 24 micronutrients that are necessary for normal functioning of your body.
It also has been shown in numerous studies to have the ability to increase testosterone levels in men.
As it’s such a popular and studied supplement, there are a lot of misconceptions about its ability to increase the production of DHT.
These misconceptions stem from studies done in test tubes, which found that zinc blocks the 5α-reductase enzyme.
However, the human body is much more complex than a test tube, and zinc actually has a huge effect on the concentration of DHT in your blood.
A study done on the effects zinc has on male fertility found that even though the sperm count remained unchanged, zinc actually improved fertility and significantly increased DHT levels.
This was confirmed in another study, even when there was no previous zinc deficiency.
Also known as Red Kwao Krua, it’s a vining shrub used as an aphrodisiac throughout Southeast Asia.
It’s quite effective when it comes to boosting libido and improving erection quality, which prompted a couple of studies about its DHT-boosting effects.
Although none of the studies were conclusive or done on humans, Butea Superba is a great supplement that’s bound to have at least some effect on your DHT levels.
We’ve written about Butea Superba and it’s potential as both a testosterone boosting supplement and a DHT boosting supplement here, so take a look if you’re interested in finding out more about this potent Thai plant.
Unless you have a wife or a girlfriend that’s taken up the gluten-free craze, chances are you haven’t heard of sorghum.
It’s a gluten-free grain, and although it’s grown all over Africa and Australia, it’s not very popular in the West.
It’s used to make a syrup known as Sorghum molasses, beer and gluten-free pastry as its taste resembles that of oat flour.
What makes this grain so interesting to bodybuilders is the fact that it can double the concentration of 5α-reductase in your body.
And since it’s the enzyme that’s responsible for DHT synthesis, using sorghum as a DHT boosting supplement could greatly improve your health and your diet.
You can find capsules with sorghum extract online, but I recommend using natural sorghum instead.
It’s widely available, and you can combine it with other DHT-boosting natural supplements without experiencing any side-effects.
Conclusion
As mentioned at the start of this article, DHT is often perceived as a negative androgen.
But the truth is that it’s actually a powerful male hormone which can significantly increase androgenic activity in the body.
Try these 5 natural supplements to increase DHT levels and you should start to feel the difference in no time.
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