Here's how to reduce DHT levels in the body
Time to read 12 min
Time to read 12 min
When looking at hair growth, the quality of your hair, and the strength of your hair follicles, it is important to get your DHT levels medically reviewed by a test. This can help you understand the levels of natural DHT, as well as the role of excess DHT and hair loss.
Additionally, when understanding how to reduce DHT levels in the body, it is important to know the relationship between DHT and hair loss. Male pattern baldness, hair loss and other conditions may be connected to your levels of DHT or the production of DHT in the body.
You can focus on a range of solutions such as pumpkin seed oil, natural DHT blockers, and green tea to naturally lower your DHT levels. You should also review other health parameters that may be impacting your DHT levels in the body as well.
It is important to note that you should get a complete medical check-up done prior to taking a DHT blocker. You can also track the impact of the blockers over time, as it is a key medical intervention that needs to be reviewed periodically.
Here's how you can reduce your DHT levels
Initial Guide to Using DHT Blockers in Hair Loss Therapy
Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is one of the prime offenders for male and female patterned baldness, known collectively as androgenetic alopecia.
In susceptible hair follicles, exposure to DHT leads the hair follicle to contract over time, then to thinning of the hair and eventually to a total loss.
DHT blockers are medications or supplements that work by either reducing the amount of DHT produced or its effects upon the hair follicles, thus slowing or even reversing hair loss.
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DHT blockers have several core benefits in that they attack the underlying cause of hair loss instead of just treating symptoms. Diminishing DHT levels saves hair follicles and encourages hair growth.
Some popular oral DHT blockers are finasteride and dutasteride, the former FDA-approved for the treatment of male pattern baldness.
These pills have been proven to significantly slow down hair loss and even stimulate regrowth in many people.
Other topical DHT blockers include minoxidil, which although a primarily vasodilator, also does reduce the effect of DHT on the follicles.
Other natural DHT blockers include saw palmetto and pumpkin seed oil, which can be used as herbal remedies for those who would like to avoid the pharmaceutical.
It is advisable to visit a doctor before using DHT blockers, as they might cause side effects.
Oral blockers like finasteride can provoke sexual side effects in users. Topical preparations often exhibit fewer systemic side effects but may cause irritation in some users.
Ultimately, the advent of DHT blockers will prove to be a step that fosters control over hair thinning.
In fact, the better the earlier, thus you should take immediate action if you spot some signs of hair thinning.
Hair loss is a condition that affects millions worldwide. However, while the reasons for thinning hair and actual hair loss could be mostly genetic, stress, or hormonal imbalance, nutrition becomes important in contributing towards hair loss.
Among the many potent antioxidants in food, lycopene has had a lot of media attention about the possible benefits of its use in fighting hair loss. Lycopene is one of the best dietary antioxidants.
The most abundant lycopene sources are red and pink fruits and vegetables. Lycopene may decrease oxidative stress and help maintain levels of dihydrotestosterone, the hormone mostly associated with hair loss.
Lycopene is a carotenoid: that means it is a natural pigment giving tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, and red peppers their characteristic reddening.
Traditionally known for antioxidant properties, lycopene is an indicator that the healing of cell damage brought by free radicals in the body results in inflammation.
Some research does exist to imply that it may also potentially reduce DHT, the hormone that most closely relates to male and female pattern baldness.
Hair follicles are rather sensitive to hormonal changes and oxidative stress. DHT, a byproduct of testosterone, binds to hair follicles, which gradually shrink in size as it leads to hair loss.
The inhibition of synthesis of DHT is yet another plausible reason why lycopene can reduce hair loss.
Maintaining normal, healthy hair follicles by decreasing the levels of DHT in the scalp allows for a healthy and thicker hair strand to grow.
Besides, anti-inflammatory effects of lycopene may diminish inflammation of the scalp which is highly associated with many kinds of hair loss, even alopecia.
A healthy scalp, inflammation-free means strong hair growth as inflammation can stall functioning of hair follicles and may cause shedding.
Intake of lycopene-rich foods can provide a natural dietary approach towards hair health promotion. Some of the best lycopene-rich sources include:
Raw tomatoes, tomato paste and cooked tomatoes provide rich amounts of lycopene. Cooking tomatoes makes the lycopene available to the body.
One of the refreshing hydrating fruits is also a good source of lycopene.
This citrus fruit is tart with loads of lycopene.
These colorful vegetables are also lycopene rich, accompanied by a bundle of vitamins A and C, which help in healthy hair.
Hair loss affects both men and women and can be caused by many factors together, including the inherited traits, hormonal imbalance, stress, poor diet, and so on.
Some of the causes cannot be changed - for example, genetics - however, several lifestyle choices have a direct connection with the health of your hair. The improvement of some of these lifestyle choices will reduce hair loss and even make it grow.
Proper diet plays a significant role in maintaining healthy hair. Hair follicle cells, as for the rest of the cells in our body, need nourishment.
A lack of essential nutrients, such as protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, D, and E, can result in shedding or fall of hair.
Food found in its natural form, such as leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, and eggs, can help to strengthen your scalp in order to maintain healthy and stronger hair.
Hair basically has large concentration of a protein called keratin, so there is a need for eating enough protein for growth and repair.
Omega-3s are also contained in the fatty fish such as salmon; they generally play a crucial role in scalp health and reducing inflammation for promoting hair growth.
It is a B-vitamin; this vitamin is used for strengthening hair, and is found in foods like eggs, nuts, and seeds.
Stress has traditionally been one of the primary causes of hair loss.
Telogen effluvium, a condition that has characteristic excessive shedding of more than the usual amount of hairs during the resting phase of the hair growth cycle, could be brought about by high levels of stress.
Stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga also reduce cortisol levels to healthy levels allowing for healthy hair growth.
Regular exercise to keep your body in motion will also do great wonders in helping to fight against stress while improving the blood flow to your scalp, which in turn nourishes the follicles of your hair.
Sleep is one of the most essential factors for maintaining the body's health, including that of hair growth.
The repairing and growth of cells take place in deep sleep, including the cells responsible for hair follicles.
Poor sleep or disorders might affect the hormonal balance in the body and may make hair thin.
Thus, it is the need of the hour to get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep at night to ensure healthy growth of hair.
Some hair treatment practices actually cause hair to fall more. These include hard treatments, especially those involving much heat, coloring, and the use of chemicals.
Such is very harsh on the hair shaft and easily weakens the hair follicle. Use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, and use heating appliances as infrequently as possible. Brush with a soft bristle brush to minimize breakage.
DHT has a major association with hair loss, especially androgenetic alopecia, also referred to as male or female pattern baldness.
The diminished level of this hormone is produced by the male steroid hormone testosterone. When DHT binds with hair follicles over time, the follicles progressively shrink, resulting in the hair becoming thinner, and eventually they stop growing.
Some people diagnosed with hair loss are prescribed such pharmaceuticals as finasteride in clinical treatment to prevent the production of DHT. There are some other natural methods of reducing the DHT through diet.
There are some foods that may inhibit the activity of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone into DHT. This, therefore, slows down hair loss and promotes healthier hair growth.
Saw palmetto is one of the best known and researched plant DHT blockers and has been exploited on a mass scale to combat hair loss.
The fruit, derived from the saw palmetto plant berry, contains substances which inhibit the activity of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, thereby halting the conversion of testosterone to DHT.
While saw palmetto is available through supplements, it can also be taken in the whole form.
Intake of saw palmetto extract as part of your diet, or as part of a systemic program, is the natural way to reduce DHT levels and slow hair loss.
Another effective DHT blocker is green tea, which people have been taking for their health advantages for thousands of years. Green tea, primarily consisting of catechins, and particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), shows actions as inhibitors of 5-alpha-reductase in terms of decreasing the level of DHT.
In addition to this, the antioxidant activity associated with drinking this beverage has a beneficial outcome in preventing damage caused by oxidative stress, one of the causes of hair loss.
Include 2-3 cups of green tea in your daily diet to reduce DHT and improve hair gently. Also, use green tea as a scalp rinse to enhance the effect.
These seeds contain high levels of zinc, an element crucial for the regulation of hormones like testosterone.
Zinc suppresses the activity of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme from converting this testosterone into DHT.
If the zinc level within the diet is low, unhealthy hair growth and increased DHT levels can result from this.
Pumpkin seeds also contain phytosterols, plant compounds that could impede the production of DHT.
Taking a handful of raw or roasted pumpkin seeds as a snack or including them in salads and smoothies can contribute to reducing DHT naturally.
On the other hand, tomatoes contain lycopene - an antioxidant which is said to neutralize 5-alpha-reductase activity.
Lycopene also enhances blood flow in the scalp, which enhances hair follicle health.
Moreover, lycopene bioavailability is sometimes increased when tomatoes are cooked, so tomato sauce, tomato paste and roasted tomatoes might contain higher quantities of lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
Including cooked tomatoes in your diet several times a week will present you with levels of DHT to be reduced and promote hair growth.
Nut and seeds- such as almonds, walnut, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are a good source of essential fatty acids, in particular, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
These good fats decrease body inflammation thus promoting the health of your scalp.
With an abundance in flaxseeds and chia seeds, these omega-3 fatty acids also help regulate the production of DHT through the inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase.
Moreover, mix nuts and seeds can be added in smoothies, salads, or even as snacks to balance the levels of hormones while reducing the effects of DHT on hairs.
Isoflavon are compounds found in soy-based foods, such as tofu, edamame, and soy milk.
It can result in altering the production of DHT. One such example of isoflavones is genistein, which is known for its anti-androgenic properties.
This means it may counteract the effect of DHT towards hair follicles.
Eating soy-based foods will keep your hormones in balance while naturally lowering DHT due to its ability to foster healthy hair growth and quality.
Berries are blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and many others. These include compounds containing vitamins C and antioxidants, which may protect the follicle against oxidative stress and stimulate collagen synthesis.
While vitamin C may not, therefore, prevent DHT directly, it may improve the overall health of the scalp, thereby mitigating at least some of the damage associated with hair loss.
Hair loss can be a frustrating condition, and while genetics and hormonal imbalances are well-recognized triggers, many other factors might contribute to or exacerbate the condition.
Awareness of these factors can also guide working out a plan for handling and preventing hair loss. Let's talk through a few lesser-known triggers for hair thinning and hair loss.
A balanced diet is very vital in hair growth and health. Lack of the essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin D, zinc, and biotin leads to thinning of hair.
Iron deficiency is a basic cause of hair loss among women due to its effect on hair's ability to grow and thrive.
Vitamin D is known to stimulate the follicles while at the same time it is essential to the strength and structure of hair like that of zinc and biotin.
These nutrients, if adequately provided through diet or supplements, can ensure healthy hair.
Stress is leading and second most contributing factor to hair loss. Telogen effluvium is a condition wherein there is excessive shedding, and it commonly occurs due to stress, emotional trauma, or a grave shock to the body such as surgery or an illness.
The amount of cortisol increases in the body under stress, and it is also known to disrupt the distribution phase of hair growth by pushing more hairs into the resting phase, further leading to increased shedding.
This is one aspect of stress that may be difficult to control, yet nearly all forms of stress-one including exercise, meditation, and mindfulness-can reduce its effect on losing hair.
In some instances, some drugs like antihypertensives or anti-depressants and chemotherapy can cause hair loss as side effects.
Sometimes other more common medical conditions (medical conditions) can cause thinning of the hair including thyroid problems, autoimmune diseases including alopecia areata and PCOS.
Therefore, these kind of hair loss can be treated by reversing the underlying cause of the medical condition.
Traction alopecia may be brought about by loose hairstyles such as ponytails, braids, and extensions.
Excessive hot tool use, chemical treatment with too many chemicals, and excessive brushing also weaken the hair shaft, which then breaks easily and falls out.
Therefore, aggressive styles must be avoided while adopting gentler styles that will preserve the health of the hair.
Environmental pollution and toxic impurities deposited inside the human body can damage the hair follicle gradually, further contributing to hair thinning.
Pollution and UV rays break down the quality of hair and also cause oxidative stress, weakening the follicle.
Wrapping hair with natural oils, hats, or scarves can reduce the damage caused by these environmental factors.
But while the conventional causes of hair loss are genetic, other triggers can equally lead to loss - such as nutrient deficiencies, stress, medications, hair styling practices, and environmental factors.Knowing these factors and having them corrected can help you better manage hair loss and even reduce the problem at times.
No, there may be hair loss introduced due to secondary reasons. These can be stress, dietary changes, etc. which can impact hair loss
You can get a DHT test from MyDiagnostics . The report will contain your overall risk of excess DHT production.
You should get your DHT levels checked and then consult with a specialist about DHT blockers to prevent hair loss.
* Medical Disclaimer - The following information is for educational purposes only. No information provided on this website, including text, graphic, and images, are intended as substitutes for professional medical advice. Please consult with your doctor about specific medical advice pertaining to your condition(s).
