Answering people’s questions regarding steroids and prohormones takes up a large portion of my day. One of the most common concerns people have about estrogen and side effects. DHT is another concern. People have the misperception that DHT is an evil androgen that only serves to make our hair fall out and our prostates explode.
Of course, the real picture is much more complicated. DHT is one those hormones that can be both good and bad. It is often misunderstood. It is not something you want to decrease or eliminate from your body, according to many.
DHT levels should be controlled for others. You can determine which group you are by knowing the facts about DHT.
Testosterone Is A Prohormone?
Testes secrete testosterone, the main androgen. The androgen signal to the body is not carried by testosterone in the majority of cases. In these tissues, which include the brain (CNS), skin, genitals–practically everything but muscle–the active androgen is actually DHT. In this instance, testosterone acts only as a prohormone and is converted into the active androgen DHT through the action of enzyme 5-AR.
5-AR is found in almost every androgen dependent part of the body, except for skeletal muscles. It is very difficult for testosterone to reach these areas to bind with androgen receptors. It is instead quickly converted into DHT which interacts with receptors.
These tissues have an important biological function that this transformation plays. DHT, which is a stronger androgen than testosterone, binds to the androgen receptor about 3-5x more strongly. You would notice dramatic changes in your physiology if you removed 5-AR from these tissues, and prevented the formation of DHT.
A good case in point is demonstrated in male pseudohermaphroditism due to congenital 5-AR deficiency. Although this is a rare condition, it is quite common in Dominican Republic. This disorder affects males who are born without the 5-AR enzyme or very little of it. They often grow up as girls because they have ambiguous genitalia. Their testosterone levels rise normally when puberty happens, but their DHT levels are very low. Although their musculature develops as normal as other adults, they often have less pubic/body hair, a smaller prostate and a lower penis. They often have a disrupted libido or sexual function.
Testosterone is the active androgen in muscle
The skeleton muscle is different from all other androgen-dependent tissues in the body. The muscle actually has very little 5-AR and no DHT. In addition to this, any DHT that is formed, or that is already present in the blood and travels to the muscle, is quickly deactivated by an enzyme called 3alpha-hydroxysteroid reductase (3a-HSD).
At least in muscle terms, testosterone is the primary androgen. However, exogenous DHT can still have an anabolic effect. Although it does have anabolic properties in muscle, it is significantly less than testosterone. It is broken down quickly by 3a-HSD to the weak metabolite 17b-diol and 5alpha-androstan-3a. DHT could have very powerful anabolic effects on muscles if this enzyme is blocked.
DHT, although testosterone is the active androgen found in muscle, has very limited anabolic effects in men. However, DHT is essential for the full performance enhancement benefits of testosterone. DHT’s effects on the central nervous system are what I am referring to. They lead to greater neurological efficiency (strength), increased resistance to psychological stress, and better sexual function and libido.
Anecdotal evidence has shown that many people have reported experiencing significantly decreased performance enhancement after stacking testosterone with Proscar, a 5-AR inhibitor. What is the explanation? It could not be caused by the inhibition of testosterone’s direct anabolic activities on muscle anabolism. It is most likely due to the decrease in androgenic effects that are present in other areas of the body, which contribute to the ergogenic effect. The CNS is the most affected, as androgens stimulate it to produce more neural output. This leads to stronger and longer lasting recovery. A reduction in androgen dependent liver growth factor production (such as IGF-1) is another possibility, since DHT is an important androgen.
Anti-Estrogen Effects Of DHT
DHT’s antagonism to estrogen is a vital function that doesn’t get much attention. Proscar can cause gynecomastia in some men who take it. These men are now susceptible to the most horrible ramification-bitch tits, which reduce DHT’s estrogen protection.
What does DHT do to protect against estrogen? This can occur in at least three ways. DHT inhibits estrogens activity directly on tissues. DHT acts as either a competitive antagonist to estrogen receptors or decreases estrogen-induced transcription at a time after estrogen receptor binding.
DHT and its metabolites were also shown to block the production estrogens from androgens through inhibiting activity of the aromatase enzyme. The studies done in breast tissue showed that DHT, androsterone, and 5alpha-androstandione are potent inhibitors of the formation of estrone from androstenedione. 5alpha-androstandione was shown to be the most potent, while androsterone was the least.
Lastly, DHT acts on the hypothalamus/pituitary to decrease the secretion of gonadotropins. DHT can decrease the secretion gonadotropins, which in turn will reduce the production of raw materials for estrogen production. This includes testosterone and androstenedione. DHT cannot aromatize into estrogens. This is where DHT’s exogenous administration is most useful. We will discuss this further in the next section.
DHT, Estrogen and The Prostate
The relationship between the prostate and DHT is one of the most misunderstood sex hormones. Most people believe that DHT is the cause of prostate hypertrophy and even cancer.
Of course, the real situation is much more complicated. It is important to understand the differences between healthy and malignant prostate growth.
The developmental growth period, also known as the first phase of prostate growth, is linked to puberty, which results in the release of androgens from the testicle. This is when the prostate goes from being in its prepubescent dormancy and becomes a normal-sized, functional, healthy adult. Despite the high levels of androgens found in the body, the prostate remains at this stage until the middle of adulthood. The adult prostate can shrink if there are too many androgens in the body. Castration or 5-AR blockade can cause this. (Remember that DHT, the active androgen, is also possible).
There is often a second stage in growth later in life. This is called benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH), and it occurs in a completely different hormonal environment to that of development growth. There is increasing evidence that BPH can be linked to high estrogen/androgen levels, which are common in older men.
Experiments have shown that androgens with saturated rings (DHT-related) are unable to cause prostate hypertrophy in the initial stage. These compounds cannot be aromatizable. Aromatizable androgens such as testosterone and androstenedione, on the other side, can cause hyperplasic changes in the prostate of monkeys. However, these effects can be reversed with an aromatase inhibitor.
Evidently, estrogen is a factor that causes BPH. Or, perhaps, estrogen when there is a minimal, permissible amount of androgen.
Although none of this is new to you, I’m sure that you are aware that DHT can be used to treat BPH! How does it do this? It does this by replacing testosterone in the body. This then reduces estrogen levels in the body.
DHT, as I explained before, is a powerful androgen which will signal the pituitary that gonadotropin production should decrease. A decrease in gonadotropins means that less testosterone will be produced, which in turn will cause estrogen levels to fall. BPH can then be reversed by the resulting hormonal change (high DHT, high estrogen). This theory is described in US Patent 5,648,350 Dihydrotestosterone to be used in androgenotherapy.
These two paragraphs are taken from the patent study and illustrate the results.
The plasma levels of DHT were increased from 2.5 to 6ng/ml in 27 subjects who had their plasma monitored to adjust the doses. The plasma testosterone levels exceeded 1.5ng/ml, which was a decrease in gonadotrophy. These levels were lowered by 50% for the plasma estradiol levels.
The prostate volume decreased significantly in this group, as measured by ultrasound and PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). The average prostate volume was 31.09. +.16.31g before treatment, and 26.34g after treatment. + -. 12.72 grams of DHT after treatment for a reduction of 15.4%. The treatment lasted an average of 1.8 years (P= 0.01).
This study’s findings seem to contradict the conventional thinking about BPH.
Conclusion
People have a tendency to categorize things as good or bad, white or black with no gray areas. DHT (like estrogen), has been a recent bad name. It is often thought to be a hormone that does nothing in the body but cause harm. This view is not true, even though you now have all the facts.
I believe that Proscar should be reexamined as a prophylactic drug for those who don’t need it. I hope you will agree with me after reading this or at the very least, keep your mind open to this sensitive topic. DHT can be a bit too strong.
