Seven ways to naturally boost DHT levels for maximum testosterone health

(NaturalNews) It's the master hormone that makes a man uniquely manly -- DHT, or 5a-dihydrotestosterone, the strongest of the male hormones that's absolutely critical for healthy testosterone balance. Chances are, if you're a man living in the modern West, your levels of DHT are too low due to the hyper-feminizing effects of pharmaceutical drugs, plastics chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), herbicides such as Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate) and many other chemical pollutants.

Maintaining your manhood in today's world is nothing short of an uphill battle, in other words. But there are some formidable lifestyle changes you can make right now to get yourself on the right track to better health.

1) Belly fat is the number one enemy of testosterone and masculinity. Unlike other forms of testosterone, DHT can't be converted by the aromatase enzyme 5-alpha-reductase into estrogen. This is one of the reasons why DHT exerts up to a three times stronger androgenic effect, and a 10 times stronger anabolic effect, inside a man's body compared to other forms of testosterone.

But DHT can be neutralized and rendered ineffective, and one of the biggest driving factors behind this process is belly fat. As explained by Anabolic Men, belly fat causes estrogen levels to skyrocket because it increases levels of not only 5-alpha-reductase, which destroys other forms of testosterone, but also cortisol, a stress hormone that causes decreases in testosterone.

"[T]he enzymes located in adipose tissue (fat mass) literally neutralize DHT, breaking it down into a less potent byproduct, 5alpha-androstane 3alpha,17beta-diol," the site explains, referencing a study out of Canada that identified body fat as a perpetrator in decreased androgen levels.

2) Supplementing with creatine provides a major DHT boost. In order to eliminate this damaging belly fat, men need to cut out things like sugar, alcohol, processed grains and synthetic chemicals that are prevalent throughout the American food supply, and start exercising more. T Nation is an excellent resource for learning how to do this properly, and the following article will get you started on this important journey:
T-Nation.com.

Supplementing with creatine is also helpful for boosting DHT levels naturally, as evidenced by the results of more than 70 peer-reviewed human studies. One such study published in 2009 found that a seven-day loading phase of creatine (three, 5-gram doses of high-quality creatine every day for seven days), followed by 14 days of creatine maintenance (one, 5-gram dose of creatine daily), resulted in an initial 56% increase in DHT, and another 40% increase above baseline after the 14-day maintenance period.

3) Sorghum naturally increases expression of 5-alpha-reductase. You'll sometimes see it in gluten-free grain preparations, but sorghum acts as a whole lot more than just a wheat replacement. Studies have shown that sorghum helps amplify the expression of 5-alpha-reductase, effectively boosting DHT levels, which a 1996 study published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics says "is required for full masculinization of the external genitalia."

4) Avoid rice, fenugreek, saw palmetto and vegetable oils. On the flip side, you'll want to avoid foods that decrease expression of 5-alpha-reductase. Though some sources claim that 5-alpha-reductase blockers are somehow beneficial for testosterone production, this is a misconception, as these same products actually reduce DHT levels at the expense of other hormones.

5-alpha-reductase inhibitors to be avoided for maximum testosterone health include processed vegetables oils, rice, fenugreek, saw palmetto and finasteride (Proscar). If seeing saw palmetto on this list comes as a surprise, the following article explains in further detail why this popular supplement for men is actually causing more harm than it is good:
AnabolicMen.com.

5) Boron helps body produce more testosterone and DHT. Numerous studies have demonstrated the testosterone-boosting effects of boron, an essential trace mineral that lowers estrogen levels and increases free testosterone levels, including DHT. Boron also helps reduce levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG, in the blood, allowing more testosterone and DHT to bind to hormone receptors throughout the body.

6) Fat is good for you! Mainstream medicine is finally coming around on this one, but dietary fat, which has long been vilified, is what causes a man's body to produce the testosterone it needs to function at its most optimal. And no, we're not talking about trans fats, processed vegetable oils and other synthetic fats -- the oils that a man needs include coconut oil, grass-fed butter, real olive oil, lard, avocado oil, palm oil and fish oil, all in abundant quantities.

7) Exercise. Study after study proves that the right kind of exercise is what a man needs for healthy testosterone production. All the healthy eating and supplementation in the world will have only minimal benefit if a man sits around all day on the couch watching sports rather than playing them.

"In a nutshell, here's what you should focus on if you want to boost both, testosterone and DHT: Sprinting, interval training, strength training, big weights, low reps, proper rest, and short intense workouts using big muscles and multi-joint movements," explains Anabolic Men.

More on this here:
AnabolicMen.com.

Sources:

http://anabolicmen.com

http://www.greenmedinfo.com

https://www.t-nation.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://anabolicmen.com