
TESTOSTERONE, the male sex hormone, has produced some interesting findings in several recent research studies.
Interesting, but not really surprising -- just ask any woman.
For example, male-male interactions in the animal world is where males of a species compete with each other for territory, food or breeding mates.
WINNERS PRODUCE MORE SEX HORMONE
Guess what? Human males are like that too. The testosterone changes in wrestlers seem to mirror the way the hormone acts in other species. Winning, being the top bull, actually produces more testosterone. Surprise! Women know this already. Winning is terribly important to men, who always want more of the manly-man sex hormone.
New research by University of Kansas professor Andrew Fry, health, sport and exercise sciences, shows that testosterone in winning collegiate wrestlers increased more than in the losing wrestlers, reports PhysOrg., the science and research news service. Funded by the U.S. Olympic Committee, Fry's research appears in the January issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

All wrestlers are familiar with a rush of "fight-or-flight" adrenaline, contributing to testosterone levels in their bodies; but, winning wrestlers had a greater testosterone response.
"Before the matches there was no difference," said Fry, "but when you'd sample the blood within five minutes after the match, you'd see a difference between winners and losers. We couldn't have picked it out ahead of time. Something is triggering this increase, and it seems to be fairly consistent."
ONLY FIVE MINUTES?
My question is: What difference does this make in the real world, if the extra shot of hormone lasts no more than five minutes?
Well, some women will tell you, in their pairings with men, that's all they ever experience -- just about five minutes. Depends on what you call "wrestling," I guess.
POSSIBLE AUTISM SIGNIFICANCE
But wait! There really are aspects learned from the research which might have significance in the future, particularly related to the development of autism.