Was conversion to DHT necessary for the muscle response?
Healthy men aged 18–50; 20 weeks of graded testosterone enanthate with dutasteride or placebo.
Fat-free mass and strength responses to graded testosterone did not differ significantly when DHT production was suppressed with dutasteride.
A nonsignificant difference is not proof that DHT has no physiological role or that blocking it has no tradeoffs.
Conversion to DHT was not required for the measured anabolic response in this experiment.
What might this mean, and what would change the interpretation?
139 men were randomized and 102 completed. This suppression study does not test whether adding DHT improves cognition, motivation or muscle growth.
What would clarify this: Direct trials of the specific DHT-related outcome and exposure being proposed.
Findings reviewed · abstract
Checked Sep 15, 2026 against the linked abstract. This reading note is not a formal risk-of-bias appraisal.