Question about Zinc and DHT (immortal, anthony, or anyone)

Hey everyone.

I know zinc has been shown to lower DHT. Unfortunately, Im extremely sensitive to all substances that lower DHT and I am quick to get intolerable side effects such as lowered libido, erection strength, etc etc.

I have been taking a vitamin supplement for my hair which I feel has helped in general hair health and they recently added zinc 15mg to their formula. It says on the bottle 150% RDA. 15 mg doesnt seem like much and I really dont want to be forced to stop taking this supplement, but do you guys think 15mg could have a significant impact on DHT? I know zinc has been shown to increase libido, but thats only in people with deficiencies. Could this small amount of zinc maybe have an adaptogen type effect on DHT, just keeping it within normal levels? Thanks for any feedback in advance!

Hey Sizzlinghairs, I don't think its something you need to worry about unless you are getting a ton of zinc from other supplements. I've been taking 50 mg supplemental daily or at least every other day for several years and I haven't experienced any problems. Zinc is one of those ubiquitous ones that needed for so many different enzymatic processes in the body you aren't going to hurt yourself getting a bit supplementally. Just remember that it can offset copper levels in the body and its generally recommended to get 1 mg copper for every 15 mg zinc. Copper balance is not something you want to mess with.

As far as its effect on DHT, I think there may be a little evidence that it can modulate 5-ar levels, so it might have an effect on DHT levels. I wouldn't expect anything major. Zinc is kind of a multifaceted mineral so it could play various roles in various contexts. But overall, most people are probably deficient in this mineral so supplementing is, for me, highly recommended.