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A New Study Says Guys Who Eat Spicy Foods Have More Testosterone

If you can't stand the heat, you may just be a beta.
If you can’t stand the heat, you may just be a beta. Photo: Sinisa Botas/Shutterstock

A recent French study by University of Grenoble Alpes researchers reports guys who like eating hot food also have more testosterone. Researchers took 114 guys between 18 and 44 and gave each a plate of mashed potatoes, mini bottles of Tabasco, and some salt packets, then let the guys spice their spuds accordingly.

The researchers found the men with more testosterone, measured via their saliva, tended to load their potatoes down with more sauce. Exactly why that is remains somewhat unclear, but the authors suggest this finding could help them eventually discover whether exposure to capsaicin actually raises testosterone levels in humans (earlier studies have shown a similar link in rodents). As one of the researchers says, “These results are in line with a lot of research showing a link between testosterone and financial, sexual and behavioural risk-taking.”

[Telegraph, Time, Official study]

A New Study Says Guys Who Eat Spicy Foods Have More Testosterone