Testosterone Surge in Athletes isn't Tied to Winning a Race

First Posted: Nov 25, 2014 11:54 AM EST
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It turns out that a higher surge of testosterone in athletes isn't tied to winning. In fact, researchers believe that it's more about competing than actual winning.

"Many people in the scientific literature and in popular culture link testosterone increases to winning," said Kathleen Casto, one of the researchers, in a news release. "In this study, however, we found an increase in testosterone during a race regardless of the athletes' finish time. In fact, one of the runners with the highest increases in testosterone finished with one of the slowest times."

The researchers analyzed saliva samples of runners. This revealed that testosterone levels rise in athletes during the warm-up period, long before the status of a winner or loser are determined. The scientists also created a questionnaire to measure the status of an athlete on a cross country team; members of the team rated the leadership ability of other individuals on the team in order to provide a combined rating score for each of the participating athletes.

The researchers found that testosterone went up from the baseline for both men and women during the warm-up, while levels of cortisol did not. At the end of the race, though, there were increases in cortisol and surges in testosterone. Neither hormone, though, was related to finish time.

"Over short periods, an increase in cortisol can be a good thing, but over long periods of chronic stress, it is maladaptive," said Casto. "Among groups of women athletes, achieving status may require a delicate balance between stress and the actions or behaviors carried out as a team leader."

The findings reveal that testosterone levels have nothing to do with whether a person will win or not. However, the study also indicates that there is a surge in hormone levels.

The findings are published in the journal Hormones and Behavior.

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