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 testes, underwear, baldness, and running
Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

testes, underwear, baldness, and running Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:36 pm 

This one is pretty far out there, but bear with me.

I recently read something interesting about the way steroids build muscle-- they mimic the effects of testosterone, and boost it to unnaturally high levels. Apparently if you exercise when your testosterone levels are high, you get more muscle growth than if levels are lower. So steroids + weight lifting = ripped muscles (with lots of unpleasant side effects).

This got me thinking about the natural differences in testosterone levels between men, and even in the same man at different times. For example, conventional wisdom says that wearing boxer shorts instead of briefs will boost a man's sperm count, due to the slightly lower temperature of the testicles when they can hang freely from the body. So would it make sense to expect testosterone production to vary according to underware type, since it's produced in the testes? Could runners who wear boxers build muscle more easily than runners wearing briefs?

And another thought-- high testosterone levels (natural or artificial) are associated with male pattern baldness-- supposedly higher testosterone levels correlate with greater baldness. Could balding runners build muscle more easily than those with a full head of hair?

All I need now is some research grant money, and a few hundred volunteers...


Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: testes, underwear, baldness, and running Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:55 pm 

C'mon, nobody's got an opinion on this? All joking aside, I don't see why this is so farfetched, but I've never heard of a link like this before.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: testes, underwear, baldness, and running Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:00 pm 

OK, I'll bite. I think that the higher sperm count with boxers is related to improved sperm survival due to the lower temperature, and not due to higher rates of sperm production. It would therefore stand to reason that testosterone production rate is also not affected by underwear style. As a life-long briefs wearer I must do all that I can to defend my stylish underwear choice.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: testes, underwear, baldness, and running Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:56 pm 

Hmm, that has a ring of truth to it. What about the baldness link then? Unfortunately all of the great male marathoners I can think of still have a pretty full head of hair, even decaded after their running primes. That doesn't bode so well for my theory, unless they all wear hair weaves.

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