If you’ve been researching acne then you’ll almost certainly have come across testosterone and DHT.
These androgens are touted as being the biggest villains behind acne ever. It does seem logical – after all, these hormones increase massively during puberty, and the first pimples appear in puberty too.
Hence, many acne patients are attempting to reduce their DHT and testosterone levels, whether through drugs or other therapies. Many foods like green tea, fenugreek seeds, brown rice, and saw palmetto are recommended by acne gurus for crushing androgen levels.
Perhaps you too have been recommended them. However, reducing DHT and testosterone for acne is a strategy I cannot endorse, at least not for men, mainly because they are important for many aspects of health.
The full story on these acne hormones is more complicated – they are far more benign than their reputation suggests. DHT and testosterone can cause acne, but they far from guarantee it.
How DHT/testosterone cause acne
Testosterone and DHT are the two strongest androgens in the human body. They are behind many of the classic effects that kick in during puberty; growing muscle mass, rabid sex drive, new body hair, a deeper voice, and all the rest.
Both testosterone and DHT activate those characteristics by stimulating your androgen receptors. A DHT molecule, for example, causes body hair growth by binding to receptors in the hair follicles, which triggers the hair to grow or grow faster if it’s already growing. A large proportion of the startling changes we undergo in our teenage years occur thanks to these hormones…
Read Annihilate Your Acne – learn how to clear your skin permanently!
…and one of the biggest changes is spotty skin that is covered with acne. DHT and testosterone kick off the whole acne saga in the first place, by making your skin oily. Androgens bind to the receptors in your sebaceous glands, which has a huge stimulating effect; the glands dramatically rev up their output of sebum.
You’ll know the horror story that follows; your pores get blocked, p.acnes bacteria shows up, and then it’s only a matter of time before acne rears its head. That’s also why annoyed teenagers develop oily skin at about age 13. DHT/testosterone have few other acne causing powers – increased sebum production is nearly the only factor.
Nevertheless, it’s extremely significant because without blocked skin pores, it’s a lot more challenging for p.acnes bacteria to multiply. Hence, there’s no inflammatory response to them, and acne will struggle to be born at all.
However it’s not a simple, linear case of “more androgens = more acne”. DHT is a substantially stronger hormone than testosterone, especially for your skin.
DHT – also known as dihydrotestosterone, this is the most powerful androgen in the human body by some distance. When one thinks of juiced-up bodybuilders and their sex-crazed personalities, steroids or testosterone are the first words that spring to mind.
However it is actually DHT that is responsible for the vast majority of male sex characteristics. The androgen receptors for body hair, sex drive, and importantly for us, the sebaceous glands, all lie under DHT’s jurisdiction. It is DHT that causes your skin to become oily and that’s why it’s most important for acne. However, testosterone still has a role in acne to play…
Testosterone – the king of androgens and the hormone that allows DHT to be born. Both men and women produce testosterone but men have far higher levels. Until a boy is roughly 9 years old, his testosterone will be in the range of 7-20 ng/DL. By the end of puberty though, those levels will have skyrocketed to between 270-1070.
Hence, he grows into a man with dramatically increased muscle mass, changed facial bone structure, and all the other changes that rapidly occur in as little as 5 years.
The truth about dairy and acne
However, what’s interesting about testosterone is that the only effect it produces directly is increased muscle mass. That’s why bodybuilders use steroids; they are basically synthetic forms of testosterone, and are optimal for getting gigantic muscles. Every single other effect that’s associated with testosterone is actually due to more DHT being produced.
All DHT is converted from testosterone, by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. The reason why higher testosterone gives you a deeper voice and increased body hair is not directly due to the testosterone itself but rather that because your testosterone is high, more will inevitably get converted to DHT. For acne, this means that having higher testosterone will still result in oilier skin, even if it doesn’t directly cause it.
The implications for acne
What this all means is that if you desire to reduce your sebum production by focussing on androgens, then DHT should be your main focus.
Specifically you should focus on the 5-alpha enzyme. It’s this enzyme that is responsible for the whole conversion process; without 5-alpha reductase there would be no DHT at all.
Inhibiting this enzyme is what most DHT reduction programs for acne focus on, including the ones favoured by acne patients. Green tea has a specific antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate that directly weakens the potency of 5-alpha reductase, and hence you’ll see many acne gurus recommend it. One supplement I recommend for lowering DHT (in certain circumstances) is saw palmetto.
Recommended – 6 vitamins and minerals which could finally clear your acne
If you were to go down this road then you wouldn’t have less overall androgens in your body; testosterone would actually increase as less would be used up in conversion. However, DHT would decrease and that’s what matters. Your sebaceous glands would be less stimulated and eventually your pores would unblock, and finally your acne would improve significantly.
With that said, the DHT question is not that simple at all. For over half of acne patients, reducing DHT is totally unnecessary. In fact, doing so could wreck your health.
Whether you’re a man or a woman is absolutely vital for your approach to DHT and testosterone, because a man’s health depends on them to a far greater extent. As discussed earlier, DHT (and testosterone) are needed for all the classic androgenic effects. Without adequate DHT levels you would have no sex drive, you would have no energy, your muscles would be weak and useless, and you would develop mental problems such as brain fog and maybe even depression.
In short, your quality of life would go massively downhill. For example:
- In this 2014 study, scientists in Amirkola, Iran, took 830 elderly men with a mean age of 70.02. 237 had some symptoms of depression, while 593 had no symptoms at all. Blood samples were collected and testosterone levels were analysed. The mean serum testosterone level in the men without depression was significantly higher. The men who were depressed were far more likely to have low testosterone levels. The scientists concluded that “the results of this study showed a significant inverse relationship between serum testosterone levels and depressive symptoms in elderly men.”
If you are a man who values the enjoyment of life even slightly, then I do not recommend any acne strategies for lowering DHT levels, lowering testosterone, or inhibiting 5-alpha reductase. You would improve acne, but you’d have a whole new world of problems to tackle.
Moreover, you can still have high levels of DHT/testosterone and cure your acne. The problems for acne can be neutralised easily.
The hormone insulin is just as potent at stimulating your sebum production; it also leads to the production of another hormone called IGF-1 that is again very potent. You can lower insulin levels simply by eating less carbohydrates, and that strategy won’t hurt you. In fact, lowering insulin will improve your health as high levels are a sign that you’re about to become diabetic.
Insulin also enhances the sensitivity of your skin’s androgen receptors. Therefore, by lowering your levels of insulin, androgens will be far less damaging for acne anyway. Additionally, there are numerous non-hormonal strategies; eating vitamin A-rich foods like sweet potatoes and eggs can reduce sebum production and acne significantly.
If you’re a woman, on the other hand, then androgens are far less important for your well-being. Women do need some testosterone/DHT since particularly low levels can cause depression and tiredness just like with men, but they need far less.
That’s why if you’re female, then reducing DHT is a viable option for acne, since you won’t destroy the rest of your health. Also, a woman’s acne is far more likely to be due to high DHT in the first place, because they are more sensitive to the effects of androgens.
Read the eBook – find out how sleep deprivation causes oily skin (and acne)
There’s one story floating around the internet on men’s nutritional forums that illustrates this well. Supposedly there was a married man taking testosterone replacement therapy and he was applying testosterone cream to his skin. He was shocked to find that after touching his wife, within days she had grown facial hair. The amount of testosterone cream she absorbed from her husband’s skin would have been tiny, yet it was still enough to have masculinising effects.
This phenomenon means that the same amount of DHT can stimulate a lot more sebum production in women than men. Therefore, while a man’s skin could withstand somewhat higher DHT levels, a woman’s would stand no chance. The female acne strategy should thus be to focus on reducing insulin as well as DHT levels, which will grant you a double whammy of sebum-reducing power.
DHT/testosterone is not the biggest factor in acne!
Many members of the clear-skin community focus on androgens like they’re the single most important factor, but the reality is that they’re not even close.
Take the example of blocked pores. If your sebum production is high due to excessive DHT, then you might woefully believe that your pores are doomed to be blocked…
…but DHT does not have to be dangerous if you eat enough antioxidants. The biggest problem of oily skin is that it allows more of your sebum to oxidise, and eating plenty of antioxidant rich foods can prevent that.
Your skin can easily cope with high androgens if you eat enough acne fruits, acne vegetables, herbs, spices, and dark chocolate. In fact, herbs and spices are long-forgotten powerhouses of nutrition; they’re just as great for acne as fruits and vegetables.
Likewise, you can focus on insulin, and you can also focus on the other big cause of blocked pores: high keratin production. This protein glues dead skin cells together and helps them clog your pores. Vitamin A keeps keratin in check, as do other acne vitamins, and many environmental contaminants like arsenic can stimulate high production.
7 natural topical treatments which can massively reduce acne
Consider your school days; you almost certainly had a teenage friend whose skin became very oily, yet still didn’t get acne. He or she probably had high DHT and testosterone, as most teenagers do, but unwittingly had a reasonably nutritious diet.
Maybe he ate plenty of meat, and thus lots of zinc, and that kept his inflammation down and meant that oily skin wasn’t a problem. Or maybe he played football a lot and was exposed to plenty of vitamin D-stimulating sunlight. The point to remember is this: the acne strategies for getting around high androgen levels are endless. In my 167-page eBook Annihilate Your Acne, we covered tons of factors such as sleep deprivation, stress levels, underused minerals like magnesium, and sun exposure.
You only have to look at history to assess that androgens don’t doom you to acne. Despite tons of acne patients worrying that their testosterone or DHT is too high, the modern man actually has less of both than ever before. Average testosterone levels have plummeted over the last century. There are some estimates stating that while the average testosterone level today ranges from 1070ng/DL to 270ng/DL, one hundred years ago the range was 2000-800!
Several studies have reported that testosterone levels have been dropping regardless of age; in other words, a 60 year old man today has far lower levels than a 60 year old man 60 years ago.
If androgens were the biggest factor in acne then you would expect acne rates to have plummeted as well. However, by most accounts they have shot up; today it’s estimated that 40-55% of adults aged between 20 and 40 have acne. The adult acne epidemic is a very recent phenomenon.
This doesn’t mean that androgens are not a factor in acne. They are extremely important, but what this does tell us is that they do not override every healthy dietary and lifestyle choice you could make.
Conclusion – my final recommendations
If you are a woman, then putting plenty of effort into lowering androgens is a very good idea for acne.
If you have oily skin then you will particularly need to focus on reducing DHT via 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like green tea, or possibly supplement with saw palmetto. You don’t want to go too low, because plenty of women do have testosterone deficiencies. Nevertheless, it’s a smart idea to drink an androgen blocker such as green tea or take this Oregon’s Wild Harvest Saw Palmetto (amazon link), which is the simplest and most effective DHT inhibitor I recommend on this website.
If you are a man however, then I do not recommend those acne treatments at all, because DHT is far too important for the enjoyment of your life.
There’s a lot of men suffering from the effects of low testosterone or DHT these days. Fertility rates are plummeting, a lot of men are listless and can’t focus; you don’t want to join those guys. You might reduce a few pimples on your face, but if you don’t have the energy to enjoy the activities you love, then it’s pointless.
Remember that DHT doesn’t even have to be a problem. My skin is still oily and I hardly have any acne. Getting lots of nutrients, antioxidants, avoiding inflammatory foods, and reducing stress are far more important factors.
If you are a bodybuilder or any other athlete who needs high testosterone to be competitive, then acne-free skin is well within your reach.
NEXT: forget creams and moisturisers – discover the ultimate acne-clearing diet
Thanks for reading!
This is the first website I have come across that really explains the hormones well. I have been searching for 10months about why I get adult acne and my search drifted me off to gut problems which I now have thanks to taking their unless info.
I finally came back to hormones which im glad about and decided to go on a high fat diet to stop me feeling hungry and eating cards and sugar. I still however break out around the chin area but not as bad and I’m struggling to figure this out. I thought it was from too much meat fat, but then I read it could be meat protein spiking insulin levels.
I am really confused about this now and would be grateful if you could tell me what actually is still causing the acne.
I also drank another of green tea leaves which helped until I realised that it causes IBS which I now have so I cut that out for a few days, is there still great effect on taking a green tea supplement without the bloating stomach?
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you
Meat protein doesn’t mess with insulin much; that’s a myth that hardcore vegans use to scare people. You’re doing well to reduce carbs because they spike insulin far more than either protein or fat.
The reason you’re still getting acne is because there’s more to acne than hormones. You have to get your inflammation levels under control, because chronic inflammation is the primary cause of acne. Two starting strategies are reducing sugar and supplementing with zinc. Green tea is excellent for acne, but I’d don’t recommend turning to any one superfood before you’ve covered all the basics. Again, zinc supplement are great, vitamin D supplements work well too, you can reduce sugar, avoid chemical contaminants in food.
There’s a lot you can do if green tea proves intolerable for you. This article explains about inflammation: https://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/how-inflammation-causes-acne/
This article explains why zinc is so important. https://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/does-zinc-cure-acne/
Good luck.
Richard
You seem to know a lot about acne, therefore I have a couple of thoughts I want to share with you, and get your opinion about. I may have a hypothesis that may give an explanation to the testosterone decline paradox while more and more people are getting acne.
First I will like to apologize for my poor english. It is not my first language, so I hope you will understand me. Thank you for your time.
If acne and hair loss are controlled by elevated dihydrotestosterone, via conversion from bioavailable testosterone by 5 alpha-reductase. Then some factor(s) most control an increased 5 alpha-reductase activity.
In women with PCOS scientist has found higher triglycerides and VLDL-cholesterol (1).
In both males and females with androgenic alopecia, scientists came to same the conclusion (and also found lower HDL-C values compared to control)(2)
In acne patients some scientist found the same thing (3)
Another study was made to determine the mitochondria in acne suffers, and found that compared to control acne suffers experienced overactive mtorc1 from bad food. In the following the scientist gives his explanation how to reverse it:
“These new insights into Western diet-mediated mTORC1-hyperactivity provide a rational basis for dietary intervention in acne by attenuating mTORC1 signaling by reducing (1) total energy intake, (2) hyperglycemic carbohydrates, (3) insulinotropic dairy proteins and (4) leucine-rich meat and dairy proteins. The necessary dietary changes are opposed to the evolution of industrialized food and fast food distribution of Westernized countries.”(4)
Could it be the first nail in the coffin if mtorc1 had some interaction with cholesterol?
Well several scientists has theories that it has (5) (Please be advised this study is in rodens. Other studies i could find concerning cholesterol and mtorc1 has also only been done in rodents)
A lot of other scientists also think acne is caused by western food. (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11)
So what about the decline in testosterone seen over the past decades?
So maybe all other testosterone (free/bioavailable and SHBG )was higher in men 20, 30, 50 years ago. And while all of these factors has declined over years, DHT has been raised, via raised 5AR from hyperactive mtorc1 to elevated VLDL and triglycerides?
What do you think?
(1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11318779
(2)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20814623
(3)http://jhs.pharm.or.jp/data/53(5)/53_596.pdf
(4)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408989/
(5)http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=nutritiondiss
(6)Family history, body mass index, selected dietary factors, menstrual history, and risk of moderate to severe acne in adolescents and young adults. Landro et. al.
(7)Mediterranean diet and familial dysmetabolism as factors influencing the development of acne. Skroza et. al.
(8)Diet and acne update: Carbohydrates emerge as the main culprit. Mahmood, Bowe
(9)Leucine and mTORC1/ a complex relationship
– Kayleigh M. Dodd , Andrew R. Tee
(10)Oily Skin: An Overview
– Thais H. Sakuma, Howard I. Maibach
(11)Beyond weight loss: a review of the therapeutic uses of very-low- carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets
– A Paoli et al.
“One recent study shows green tea increasing DHT by 194% and testosterone by 74%.”
That study on acne and cholesterol is very interesting. From my research I can’t be sure whether cholesterol is a massive factor. You can’t tell from one study. Acne is so strongly linked to overall diet and health that the increased cholesterol could simply be another side effect, rather than a cause. Chronic inflammation, for example, both causes acne and can worsen cholesterol profiles by oxidising LDL cholesterol.
However if cholesterol helps to manufacture 5-alpha reductase then yes, it would lead to a greater proportion of androgens being DHT. There are also studies showing that patients with higher levels of HDL cholesterol have lower levels of inflammatory chemicals in their bloodstream, so that could explain it. It’s definitely possible that cholesterol is a factor that’s overlooked by the acne clearing community at large. It regulates your bodily functions in so many ways. I may do a more detailed article in the future outlining whether cholesterol does have an effect.
As for DHT, it should still fall even if total 5-alpha reductase has increased. If testosterone is lower then that leaves less building blocks for DHT to be manufactured from. DHT might fall by less, but it probably couldn’t increase even if higher cholesterol was increasing the conversion process.
What I believe explains the testosterone paradox is indeed the Western diet as you mentioned, more specifically the massive amounts of carbohydrates that governments have recommended since the 1970s. Insulin is by far the most important hormone for acne, and average blood levels are much higher than they used to be, which you can see in the modern day epidemic of diabetes. A diet with too many carbohydrates explains why acne has gone up while testosterone has been plummeting. Then there’s factors like our modern day addiction to sugar, vegetable oils, and so on.
Hey
got male issues went on testosterone and dht for curvature. Non my dht is 2700 and testosterone is 1000. Do o need to worry dht is to high?
Depends if your skin has become very oily, because that’s the main problem with DHT when it comes to acne. If you have suddenly noticed an outbreak of acne and oily skin but you want to keep taking the DHT/testosterone then you’ll need to reduce oily skin through other methods. The best two strategies are 1) increasing your vitamin A intake, and 2) reducing your blood sugar and insulin levels, which can be achieved fairly easily by eating less carbohydrates and sugars. Your testosterone is at a good level for male health though.
How about masturbation? I’ve seen many posts that masturbation increases acne. Because masturbation contributes to increase conversion of Testosterone to DHT,
That’s right, masturbation increases the activity of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme which converts testosterone to DHT. However, the same thing occurs during actual sex, so instead of worrying about this it’s smarter to change your diet and lifestyle first.
“If you are a man who values the enjoyment of life even slightly, then I do not recommend any acne strategies for lowering DHT levels, lowering testosterone, or inhibiting 5-alpha reductase. You would improve acne, but you’ll have a whole new world of problems to tackle.”
Smart point. Men wanting to lower their testosterone and other androgen hormones is real stupid.
Definitely, especially nowadays when getting high natural testosterone levels is far harder than it once was.
I have acne problem since I was 16teen now I’m 27 year old and still fighting with my acne problem. Is their any medicine for control DHT and testosterone levels I want permanently freedom from acne.
Yes there is, but I don’t advise that you take it, read the article, you’d destroy your life.
Hi I am currently suffering from years upon years of sex = acne. I read some of the info in this comment section, which was helpful.
But nowhere else is it talked about.
No where else on this site nor in your wonderful book.
Is there anything I can do to help me deal with this horrible problem?
It has ruined my life
I Have 38 now, I had acne from 13/14 to 19th. The only things that stoped was, first accutane, and the propecia ( cause I Also have male pattern baldness ) Not a single one after 2 months on Propecia. But,, for my surprise, Propecia did nothing for the oily skin or black heads, but cured my acne. I am still on Propecia ( Actually, Dutasteride now, Avordart ) and still oily face, black heads, but not acne at all.
Good information keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your a good man!!!!
I read somewhere that diluted peppermint oil can prevent acne by suppressing androgen receptors in the skin.
Yes, peppermint oil is an inhibitor of DHT. A lot of sportsmen avoid consuming it for that reason.
How to control dht level plz? I am also occur in ths prob
Like I said, you don’t necessarily need to with a few simple changes. But if you have some weird circumstances then saw palmetto is a simple solution (it’s fairly extreme though).
Hi Richard I posted some comments but I couldn’t see that sorry if it’s getting repeated
I did few research on male hair baldness and found DHT secretion in follicle receptors are the main reason for baldness. Can you please suggest DHT inhibitors which we can apply on the scalp I came across few posts like seabuckthorn oil and Fenugreek seed ( not proved ) reduce the DHT. If there anyother substance which inhibits ???
I wanna take care of my hair aswell I know this forum is not related to hair but you know much more about DHT . so I think if I use argan oil on scalp I could reactvite the dorminant hair follicle (increase blood circulation ) to generate new hairs and with DHT inhibitors I can maintain it
I too have this doubt instead of using DHT inhibitors I can take steps to clear the blocked pores in scalp as well the face right ??? because of which acne occurs and hair follicles become inactive . I don’t think over oil secretion is a problem …it is a problem when it get blocked right ???
does intense exercise (such as weightliting) offset some effects of DHT inhbiting supplements (such as lysine) ? because ive been taking it for about 3 and a half months or so, and it made my acne a lot less severe and improved healing time in most cases. and i have not noticed any such negative side effects that were mentioned. My plan is to keep taking lysine until my blood levels of vitamin D increase, among other vitamins at which point i would stop taking it. just wondering if taking it for alittle while longer is still ok?
Hello, I really like your website and how insightful and concise you are with your claims! I would love to hear your thoughts about fasting (and the different types of fasts: water-only/dry/juice) and the benefits it may have on clearing acne!
To Andrew – lysine isn’t actually a DHT inhibitor; it was misconstrued as being one because adding it to DHT-inhibiting hair loss products were shown to make them more effective. However, that was because of its role in protein formation. That’s why you haven’t noticed any negative effects. Even if lysine was a mild DHT inhibitor, I would still recommend a normal intake, because it’s such an important amino acid; it isn’t a random herb like saw palmetto which the body has no requirement for. I would keep taking it, especially since you’ve seen the exact improvements which lysine should bring (faster wound healing).
Thank you for this page. Ive been suffering from acne (due to ejaculation) since I was 18 (I’m 27 now).
I was going to start taking saw palmetto to reduce DHT, but because of this page I’m going to look into zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D and anti inflammatory foods.
How long do you think I need to wait until I see results?
Great to hear that you’ve been deterred. Anti-inflammatory foods could have minor benefits within days. Supplements will take several weeks to kick in properly, so be patient.
I have underarm odour problem since last 10 years that even after shower….
When i use antiperspirant odour stop for some hours it means sweat coming from my armpit has odour i think
1) Do you think that beacuse of having high testosteron level ?
because I think i have high testosteron.i get erection very fast sometime and i have oiky face and acne too
2) Or this is due to hyperAldesteron which is also harmone maintain salt and water balance in body
Please suggest me something about this that what would be the reason for my problem
THANKS IN ADVANCE Male:-24
Wipe out the bacteria in your underarm – it’s the bacteria consuming sweat which creates odour, not the sweat itself. Baking soda will do the trick.
actually i am very clean guy i used evrything from baking soda to antibacterial product nothing works…
Its actually sweat which is kind of diffrent that causes odour And Doctor said its due to harmonal changes
Doctor says harmonal changes is the reason for bad odour and this problem is very common nowdays
Thats why u know better about harmone so i asked you about this
Would you please tell me how harmone affects odour and which harmone is mostly responsible for odour in armpit ?
Someone says its testosteron which promote aprocrine gland to secret
someone says its hyperaldesteron which is released from adrenal gland which causes sodium absorbtion more and pottasium weakness(removal) from body and elevate body PH and body will go in metablic alkolosis and further causes odour
What do you think about this ?
Doctor says its due to harmonal changes in your body
he said do yoga and meditation and excersize
I got 2 questions.
1. How do you get rid of acne while on steroids? I personally took Testosterone and I have been breaking out quite a bit on my face.
2. How do you get rid of body acne?
Hey Richard – curious about your thoughts on carbs driving down testosterone. Do you have any studies to that end? I wonder whether the Kitavans had/have low testosterone, despite 70% carb intake? It doesn’t seem immediately obvious to me that carb intake alone would inhibit testosterone, as long as you were getting adequate cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, zinc, selenium, etc. to support testosterone levels. These nutrients are often severely lacking in modern diets, as I’m sure you know! So it seems like misplacing causation for correlation to say that modern diets lower testosterone BECAUSE of their high carb levels. (They also have low mineral density, low fat-soluble vitamin levels, low fiber, low polyphenols/antioxidants, high iron, high fluoride/bromide, etc., which all could be confounding factors in the carbs-lower-testosterone hypothesis.)
The research on carbohydrate levels and testosterone is actually very consistent; moderate carbohydrate diets lead to increased levels compared to low carb diets, in studies where protein has been swapped with the carbs, and fat, calories and other foods have been kept the same. Low carbohydrate diets are also notorious for increasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which destroys testosterone molecules upon contact. What you say is correct, the average man’s low testosterone is due to the lack of testosterone boosting vitamins and minerals, more secretive testosterone boosting phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, and additionally, the abundance of environmental chemicals like phthalates in plastic, but if all of their junk food coincidentally consisted of burger king, Big Macs, and greasy fish rather than carbohydrates, the situation could even be worse.
Hey Richard, I enjoyed the article, and am thinking about purchasing your ebook! Question for ya. On the contrary to reducing DHT and Testosterone, I am thinking about increasing both in the hopes to develop (more) facial hair? I liked what you said on how 100 years ago, mens testosterone levels were much higher. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks; you might have seen even in the mainstream media that men’s fertility and testosterone levels are falling year after year. According to one study, the upper limit of the healthy men’s range 100 years ago was 2000ug (with the range being something like 800-2000), compared to nowadays, when the upper limit of the normal range is about 900. Basically, what would be considered to be high natural testosterone levels today would be fairly weak 100 years ago. Rather than realising that it’s a big problem for men’s health and devising strategies accordingly, for some reason, hormone gurus have just shifted the entire ratio downwards.
Anyway, the causes are numerous, but some likely ones are: 1) the decline in healthy fats like grass-fed butter in the diet, since saturated fats are needed to manufacture testosterone. 2) The abundance of hormone-disrupting chemicals in personal care items, pesticide-covered foods, and even tap water. 3) Too much sugar in the diet.
4) A shift away from real, home-cooked food towards ready meals or takeaways. One reason why this is a problem is simply the lack of many antioxidants and phytonutrients in plant foods which increase testosterone, with one example being gingerols found in ginger, or also betaine found in beetroot. 5) A shift towards indoor office jobs where you’re hunched over a darkened desk all day, depriving you of both sunlight and vitamin D, and physical labour. 6) High stress levels. The stress hormone cortisol is the nemesis of testosterone. 7) A lack of essential nutrients like magnesium, which is overlooked for testosterone compared to zinc.
That’s only a sample of the reasons; it would many articles to cover all of them. Either way, I’ve seen people on forums before believing that exercising is the only natural way to increase testosterone, but that’s far from the truth.
Hi,
In your other article you mentioned that zinc is cure of acne but it increases DHT. Here you say DHT cause acne so, if zinc increases DHT and DHT cause acne then how zinc can be a cure of acne? Put a light on it please
Because its beneficial effects outweigh the DHT increase’s effect on acne.
This article could not be more false. DHT does NOT cause an increase in sebum production nearly as much as Testosterone. He has it backwards. It is true that DHT is a more potent androgen but Testosterone has a known affect on sebum. This is why most people who take Propecia (finasteride) for hair loss end up getting really bad acne even though the drug works by reducing DHT levels by up to 90%. This happened to me. The reason for this is that the amount of free Testosterone in your blood increases as DHT decreases (simply because less T is being converted into DHT).
Hey Richard, I read your book in the spring and have seen improvements in my skin, gut issues and overall health from adopting some of the strategies in it but am now looking into more effective supplementation as my stress levels have really been building up due to life and now my symptoms are worse again (stress seems to be my biggest trigger originally). My acne has always been the worst around my mouth and chin and I have other hormonal issues like PMS, menstrual cramps and more cysts around the time of the month, and I have now missed my last few periods altogether. My skin however is fairly dry and while as a young teen it was more combination I’ve never really had oily skin. Do you think I should look into lowering DHT/testosterone levels or should I just focus on stress-relieving supplements? I read your articles on vitamin c and camu camu powder and was thinking of trying that. I don’t have large cysts that much anymore but I have lots of hard tiny bumps especially on forehead and around my mouth and some smaller surface pimples. My overall skintone is somewhat red and uneven and my skin is still very sensitive.
Hello Richard,
I‘ve been drinking a tablespoon of pumpkin seed oil for 2-3 weeks against my hair loss. I‘ve been following a low carb diet in the last 2-3 months, so only meat, poultry, fish , veggies and berries, nuts and some dark chocolate.( been following almost every advice you give in the book). I then introduced some cheddar cheese in my diet after I didnt eat any dairy for more than a year. I didnt eat crazy much cheese but a little bit every day. Now I am noticing an increase in acne but I dont know if it‘s because of the cheese or the pumpkin seed oil( and its PUFAs). Can you please tell me if I should stop drinking the oil or the pimples are only because of the cheese?
Thank you in advance
It could be either, the oil because of its PUFAs, or the cheese because of its dairy proteins like whey and casein and other allergens. I would try removing the Cheddar cheese first and observing your skin so that you can isolate the real cause.
Do you recommend green tea pills?
Only if you’re a woman (men will suffer hormonal damage), and if you do, make sure to analyse the ingredients list and get a product free from unhealthy additives like corn, soy, etc.
Hi Richard, might be slightly off-topic but do you think there is any connection at all between acne, testosterone/DHT, and patchy eyebrows and what if anything would you recommend? I have tried several oils and acne related concoctions over the years such as grapeseed combined with lavender but nothing seems to work!
Best regards, Simon
What about other health related benefits of green tea like improved gut health and antioxidants? Wouldn’t it be a net benefit to our health overall?
Yes, it’s packed with antioxidants, so as long as you don’t mind the hormonal effects it’s an acne-friendly drink. Personally, I’d rather get antioxidants from pomegranate or raspberries or dark chocolate (and many more).
Green tea also has the ability to lower insulin and protect skin against sunlight but I agree with you.