An athletic session between the sheets before a game may pep up the performance of soccer and rugby players, Italian researchers have claimed.
New research suggests that sex can enhance rather than hinder the competitive edge of top sportsmen.
Traditionally it has been thought that players should abstain from sex before an important game. The theory is that the male hormone testosterone, which fuels aggression, builds up if a player is deprived of sex, making him more competitive on the field. But now a team of Italian researchers has shown that testosterone levels rise with increased sexual activity. The scientists, led by Mr Emmanuele Jannin of the University of L'Aquila, measured testosterone in the blood of more than 80 patients with long-term impotence. They found their levels to be about two-thirds that of sexually active men of equivalent age.