Hormones
Testosterone
Testosterone is the main male hormone, though it is present in females too.
Testosterone is the primary male hormone, though it is present in females, and Ray Peat considered it fundamentally protective, acting as an anti-stress agent for most of the lifespan. Peat argued that testosterone, along with progesterone and thyroid, protects normal mitochondrial function through both local and systemic effects. He emphasized that a slow thyroid shifts the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, which is where degenerative problems begin. Dinkov has extended this by noting that in an endocrinologically compromised person, testosterone would not be his first choice; he would prioritize DHT and thyroid or pregnenolone to avoid the risk of conversion to estrogen.
Peat directly challenged the cultural stereotype that testosterone causes male pattern baldness or prostate cancer, stating there is no evidence that excess testosterone is responsible for either condition. He noted that the belief in testosterone as a cause for baldness is similar to the old, disproven belief that it causes prostate cancer, and that the idea of "increased sensitivity" to the hormone merely fills in for a lack of evidence. Dinkov has written that behaviors stereotypically attributed to testosterone, such as aggressiveness and lack of empathy, are actually driven by stress hormones like cortisol and estrogen, and that administered testosterone does not impair empathy. Peat pointed out that by age 50, men often show a deficiency of testosterone and thyroid, alongside an excess of prolactin and estrogen, which is the age when prostate enlargement often becomes noticeable.
Regarding supplementation, Peat cautioned that pharmaceutical testosterone forms usually provide huge excesses, as a very healthy young man might produce only 4 or 5 milligrams per day. He stated that 1 or 2 milligrams of well-assimilated testosterone should give a tremendous boost, and that a full replacement dose for an 80 or 90-year-old man is around 15 milligrams. Dinkov has argued that oral free/base (unesterified) testosterone is highly bioavailable and safer than synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids, noting that even massive oral doses have shown no negative side effects on the liver and may actually cure advanced liver failure. Peat identified thyroid as the basic anabolic hormone, which directly activates protein synthesis and lowers cortisol, and Dinkov added that bodybuilders often overdose on androgens because they fail to address the thyroid angle and are trying to shut down stress hormones by flooding the system.
Peat explained that testosterone and progesterone are estrogen antagonists that inhibit carbonic anhydrase. He described testosterone as having chemical and functional properties of both estrogen and progesterone, giving males a short-term stability but a lack of adaptiveness in the longer range. In the context of cancer, Peat noted that in human prostate slices, testosterone did not stimulate cell division, and that a testosterone deficiency is a strong predisposer to prostate cancer. He highlighted that estrogen plays a critical role in the genesis of precancerous lesions in the prostate, and that substances opposing estrogen, including testosterone and progesterone, promote differentiation. For assessing health, Peat recommended the ratio of cortisol to DHEA as more useful than measuring estrogen and testosterone by themselves.
People also ask
- How does thyroid function affect testosterone's role in the body?Peat argued that a slow thyroid shifts the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, which he considered the starting point for degenerative problems, while thyroid itself acts as the basic anabolic hormone that supports protein synthesis and lowers cortisol.
- Why did Peat reject the idea that testosterone causes baldness or prostate cancer?Peat stated there is no evidence that excess testosterone is responsible for either condition, noting that the belief in testosterone as a cause for baldness mirrors the old, disproven belief about prostate cancer, and that the idea of "increased sensitivity" merely fills in for a lack of evidence.
- What did Peat and Dinkov say about safe testosterone supplementation?Peat cautioned that pharmaceutical forms often provide huge excesses, suggesting 1–2 milligrams of well-assimilated testosterone as a significant boost, while Dinkov argued that oral unesterified testosterone is highly bioavailable and safer than synthetic steroids, with massive oral doses showing no negative liver effects.