The DHT Thread - Principles For Raising DHT (Supps, Foods, Etc.)

[AnonE]

From reading Peat and other forum members, and applying some principles myself to try and increase it, I gotta say I LOVE DHT! Googling DHT, all you find is ideas on how to block it!

My hairline seems fine, so I'd like to go about continuing to try and increase it. I'm not yet willing to take the hormone directly, but rather I'd like to get a good checklist of supplements, foods, and lifestyle factors that will help my body make as much as possible on its own.

Why DHT is Awesome

- Great confidence
- Great erections
- Fantastic sex drive
- Deeper Voice
- Better workouts

Some Principles that I've picked up from reading the forum (please feel free to correct, add onto, etc):

- More testosterone is good, because T converts to DHT via 5AR enzyme
- So I guess we want all the things that can increase 5AR
- Thyroid function is somehow important (well it's good in general) but in particular it's involved in making DHT. I read this somewhere, would like to confirm/dis-confirm, and understand the mechanism why.

Known DHT Enhancers (please feel free to correct, add onto, etc):

- Creatine
- Fat Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K2)
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- Vitamin B6
- Glycine
- Taurine
- Androsterone (* I'll put a star next to items that are hormones)
- Caffeine
- T3 (*)

Possible DHT Enhancers

- Calcium (known to help increase T levels)
- Magnesium (known to help increase T levels)
- Zinc (helps with T but some sources say is dose-dependent effect)
- Sugar (seems to help with energy and thyroid, but online sources say sugar lowers T levels? Not my experience)
- Ginseng (pops up on Google)
- "Tribulus but the right concentration" (should find a source)
- "Nicotine to inhibit breakdown to weaker metabolites"

Food and Diet

- Not entirely sure for anything specific. Definitely avoiding PUFA and the usual suspects.
- But should we focus on higher carbs? Saturated fats?
- How important is protein as a proportion of total calories?

- Raw Milk
- Cholesterol (what are good food sources?)

Lifestyle Factors

- Being calm and in control
- Moving into managerial positions and having subordinates; increases social status and thus probably hormones
- Lots of sex
- High quality deep sleep
- "Winning", i.e. getting positive outcomes you want, and not feeling constrained and held down somehow

---

Help me add onto and clarify some of these topics, preferably with studies, Peat clips/readings, etc, and I'll update the OP so hopefully others can find useful as well :) Cheers

 

[vulture]

Have you performed bloodtests on DHT before and after trying to increase it?
It rose?

 

[Cameron]

Sugar does not decrease androgens they said when you eat sugar it lowers test by 40% well thats anytime you eat food not sugars fault that it lowers blood androgens in the day

Id add b6
Glycine
Taurine
Androsterone
Tribulus but the right concentration
Coffee lots
Nicotine to inhibit breakdown to weaker metabolites
Sugar and cholesterol vitamin A and t3
Raw a2 milk up to a gallon a day

 

[tallglass13]

Following.
I have had some great reactions to DHT from females. However, DHT does increase aldosterone , and I always feel some type of volume expansion, or a fuller appearance.
After some new finding this week, I feel that a DHT Metabolite or a DHEA metabolite as haidut stated in a thread , is responsible for MPB. I'm very interested in finding ways to keep DHT as DHT and not 3adiol.

 

[AnonE]

Unfortunately haven't before/after tested my DHT, it was hard enough to get T. That has risen over a multi-year span period (from 500ish range to 900ish range), the last year or so where I started incorporating Peat, but also being smart about burning out less at the gym.

Nice, I'll put in some thread edits. Would also appreciate studies/sources, especially for suspect or debatable ones.

 

[Cameron]

Following.
I have had some great reactions to DHT from females. However, DHT does increase aldosterone , and I always feel some type of volume expansion, or a fuller appearance.
After some new finding this week, I feel that a DHT Metabolite or a DHEA metabolite as haidut stated in a thread , is responsible for MPB. I'm very interested in finding ways to keep DHT as DHT and not 3adiol.

Nicotine stops dht breakdown to 3adiol

 

[Cameron]

I would love to learn about more powerful compounds however not much research goes into dht boosters I think tribulus andro and dhea are the best and safest options with positive feedback loops

 

[AnonE]

Are they all Over The Counter? Or accessible enough online?

What do you mean by positive feedback loops?

 

[Cameron]

Are they all Over The Counter? Or accessible enough online?

What do you mean by positive feedback loops?

All are yes and they do not supress hpta axis when used in logical doses so they do not create I'm balances in stress or reproductive hormones in studies

 

[Cameron]

Does anyone have information on sorghum and dht other than vitro studies @haidut are you fimiliar with sorghum extracts mechanism on 5ar?

 

[tallglass13]

@Cameron, cool thanks for info on nicotine. I wonder what the safest , healthiest way to get it. would be nice if idealabs had a nicotine sup.

 

[frant26]

@Cameron, cool thanks for info on nicotine. I wonder what the safest , healthiest way to get it. would be nice if idealabs had a nicotine sup.

Nicorette gums?

 

[Cameron]

I'm working on one :) nicotine gums out there have many toxic additives

 

[Herbie]

The best nicotine route I have found is the patches. I got them from the doctor 1 month ago and they are discrete and for peace of mind as it requires no effort on my part. The patch is constantly releasing steady supply of nicotine, mine are from the doctor and have 114 mg of nicotine in each patch but I think 21 mg makes it into the body over 24 hours, but I take it off before bed.

I did use the gum which some people may find useful because of the xylitol and nicotine in the gum but what happened was I damaged the skin on my lips and septum from chewing all day long.

 

[BTD]

Following this thread. Add butea superba to the possible DHT boosting effects. I've used it almost daily since early August. I don't have any conclusive evidence asides from anecdotal feelings (which can be fickle at best), but there's a study mentioned over on the Anabolic Men site (edited this post to say that I have no stake whatsoever in that site; just stating where I found the upcoming info -- that site is how I found out about Ray Peat) about a guy in Thailand using a big dose of it and his DHT levels becoming sky high. I also like using 5 grams of creatine per day and 4-8mg of nicotine gum per day. I'm a big time believer in using chelated magnesium (glycinate). I had a headache every single day of the year in 2014 (no joke) and they didn't subside until I began taking magnesium. No matter what, I take 500mg per day. Asides from that, I feel wonderful being out in the sunshine during the summer, but where I live (eastern U.S.), it is now dark and dreary... cold... with hardly any sunshine, so I'm supplementing with 5,000-10,000 IU of vitamin D a few times a week along with some K2. I'm a big time caffeine guy, as well.

I also supplement with vitamin E (natural with mixed tocopherols), boron and cistanche deserticola. I try to use sorghum in recipes when I can and have some sorghum syrup I consume a couple times a week as well in addition to taking a supplement that contains some sorghum. Just thinking off the top of my head here about what I use.

I've felt quite great, all things considered. My life has been a hectic pit of stress lately. My mother had a stroke last week. Between that, trying to make the final push to getting my degree and working my **** off, I feel fairly calm and in control of my life even though from the outside looking in, things are spiraling. Not sure if my diet and supplements are assisting in that, but I suppose they are. I'd like to go get my levels checked, since all of this is anecdotal experiences.

 

[cellboy]

To get the maximum output you'll need to eat as little fat as possible while keeping saturated:unsaturated fat ratio high. That doesn't mean to eat lots of saturated fat but to eat enough sugar to create the necessary saturated fats(palmitic and stearic acid) for you. Those fatty acids won't interfere with the enzymes needed for steroid metabolism and are very pro thyroid in general.
My personal experience with nicotine(from cigarettes) hasn't been very positive. Whenever i smoke for more than a week, i get constant cold feet and almost non existent libido whereas without i'm able to ejaculate even 7 times per day without any brain fog or tiredness afterwards. It could be the chemicals and the estrogenic smoke that are responsible for that, who knows.

 

[superGrover]

Green tea lowers or raises dht, research is conflicting. When I drink a cup, I get a bit more hairloss, more itchiness on the scalp.

 

[restinpeace]

ı wouldn't increase DHT too much it is hpta supressive it is always thought that estrogen is hpta supressive which is true but dht is also eats your testosterone via negative feedback even it is body's own dht

 

[Vinero]

Niacinamide, Glycine and low dose topical DHEA are very Pro-androgenic and boost DHT.
Zinc sometimes feels very androgenic, sometimes doesn't. Too much zinc isn't good because it antagonizes copper.

 

[AnonE]

Dht eats testosterone via negative feedback?

I've heard DHT promotes its own synthesis via positive feedback.

I get that DHT is converted from Testosterone via 5AR.

What are the characteristics of someone who might be high DHT:T ratio vs a low ratio? All other things being constant. Interesting thought experiment.