剧烈运动可能导致男人性欲下降

Men might think that by spending hours in the gym, honing their bodies until they resemble a buff Adonis, women (or other men) will throw themselves at them, powerless to resist the sexual attraction they feel.

男人们或许以为，当他们花大量时间在健身房塑造自己的躯体，成为健硕美男后，女人们（或其他男人）会蜂拥而至，无法抗拒他们身上散发的性吸引力。

But it turns out strenuous exercise could be doing your sex life more harm than good.

但结果是，剧烈运动可能会对性生活产生负面影响。

According to a new study, high intensity workouts may actually lower a man's libido.

一项最新研究显示，其实高强度运动可能会降低一个男人的性欲。

The research by the University of North Carolina assessed 1,100 men who considered themselves to be athletes. The men were asked questions about their sex lives but also their exercise habits.

美国北卡罗来纳州大学的这项研究评估了1100位自认为身强体健的男性，调查了他们的性生活和锻炼习惯。

The men who participated in the survey were divided up based on how much and how intensely they exercised, then also based on whether their libidos were high or low.

研究者先根据受访者锻炼的时间和强度进行分组，随后再根据他们性欲的强度分组。

Incredibly, the patterns which emerged were extremely clear: the men who exercised moderately or lightly reported higher libidos than those whose workouts were longer and harder.

难以置信地，调查结果非常清晰：与进行轻、中度运动的男性相比，进行长时间和剧烈锻炼的男性性欲偏低。

They found that men who exercise a lot reach a "tipping point", where they're too tired or no longer interested in sex.

他们发现进行大量运动的男人会到达一个"临界点"，使他们要么太疲惫，要么对做爱失去兴趣。

Of course, the authors cannot definitively state that intense exercise results in a lower libido, just that they are linked.

当然，研究者并不能定论高强度运动一定会降低性欲，只能说两者有联系。

Lead researcher Dr Anthony Hackney, however, believes both physical fatigue and reduced testosterone levels likely play a role.

不过，首席研究员安东尼·哈克尼博士认为，剧烈运动后的身体疲劳和较低的睾酮水平很可能起了作用。

It's one of the first studies to look into the link between exercise and sex drive in men, and the findings are so great that fertility experts are now considering changing the advice they give to men who are trying to conceive with their partners.

这是第一项关注男性锻炼和性生活关系的研究，而研究结果如此有意义，以致生育专家现在考虑要对尝试与另一半备孕的男性更改建议。

Previous research on women has concluded that intense exercise -such as the training done by professional marathon runners -can result in menstrual abnormalities. It is believed that a woman's hormone balance can change after intense exercise,which results in lower fertility and diminished sex drive.

过去对女性的研究已经发现，高强度运动--比如职业马拉松运动员所进行的高强度训练 会导致月经不调。这是因为高强度运动会使女性荷尔蒙失调，从而影响女性的性欲和怀孕能力。

"Fertility specialists will often ask a woman about whether and how much she exercises," said Dr Hackney. "Based on our data, we think they should also be asking the man."

"生育专家常常会询问女性的锻炼情况，" 哈克尼博士说，"然而数据表明，他们也应该问男人同样的问题。"