Playing football match boosts testosterone levels by 30 per cent

By Suzannah Hills

PUBLISHED: 03:19 EST, 28 March 2012 | UPDATED: 03:56 EST, 28 March 2012

Playing a game of football has been found to give a boost to men's testosterone levels - helping to increase their sex drive.

Scientists discovered players had a 30 per cent leap in the sex hormone immediately after a football game.

And even an hour after they had finished playing, their testosterone levels were still 15 per cent higher than normal.

Footballer who played in forward roles in the matches tended to see the biggest boost, regardless of their age, the study found.

The spike in testosterone levels may explain why so many famous footballers, such as married Ryan Giggs who had an affair with former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas, get caught up in sex scandals

They studied farmers in the remote Tsimane tribe in Bolivia because men there generally have much less testosterone.

Tsimane men maintain a stable amount of testosterone across their lifespans and show little incidence of obesity, heart disease and other illnesses linked with older age.

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Playing football match boosts testosterone levels by 30 per cent

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