Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) Levels
DHT is the more potent downstream product of testosterone. High converters may see effects on hair loss, prostate health, or skin—and often benefit from DHT-blocking strategies before symptoms become problems. Low converters rarely need to worry about it.
What this measures
How your DNA shapes dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels.
SRD5A2 codes for 5-alpha reductase type 2 — the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a more potent androgen that drives certain tissue effects more strongly than testosterone itself. AR (androgen receptor) sensitivity further shapes how strongly tissue responds. DHT is essential for some functions and a driver of unwanted effects in others — pattern hair loss, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), and acne all run partly through DHT.
Carriers of SRD5A2 high-activity variants are associated with higher DHT-to-testosterone conversion and more DHT-driven effects (faster hair-loss progression, BPH risk, acne severity). Carriers of AR high-sensitivity variants are associated with stronger tissue response to whatever DHT is present. The combination shapes both circulating levels and how much they matter.
Saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, and certain dietary patterns moderately reduce 5-alpha reductase activity. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (finasteride, dutasteride) directly block conversion and are FDA-approved for hair loss and BPH — with side-effect profiles that vary across variant patterns. Adequate zinc supports the broader androgen network. Stress and insulin resistance both shift the testosterone-to-DHT balance.
Hair loss patterns, prostate symptoms, and acne severity often track to DHT pathway variants more than to "low testosterone." Which SRD5A2/AR pattern you carry decides whether DHT is a driver worth addressing — and whether the right intervention is dietary, topical, oral pharmacological, or simply awareness.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) Levels is one specific finding in this system. Your Genomic Lifestyle Optimization Report shows where your variants place you on the hormones spectrum — and what you can do about it: it renders as a dark card with a color marker calibrated to your variants, opening with the gene mechanism and closing with a practical, mechanism-led recommendation.
Want to see what a real Mosaic dark card looks like? Walk through a sample report →
In context
Sex Hormones: the 6-insight cluster.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) Levels is one finding in a tightly-related cluster. Mosaic sequences the other 5 alongside it so you see the whole biology — not an isolated data point.
Questions people ask
About Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) Levels.
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