Question: does smoking affect testosterone levels ?

Gavin Devereux answered on 12 Mar 2012:

Good question. Yes it can. Also, passive smoking (sometimes called secondhand smoke) can also affect the sex hormones. There are researchers around the world who are looking at the effects of different pollutants on exercise capacity. The chemicals that are released from cigarettes can stop some hormones working properly (testosterone being one of them).

We had a consultant visit our university last week. She conducts exercise tests before people have operations, to assess how safe the operation will be. She is a real expert on cigarettes and their effects. Before I spoke with her, I didn’t know cigarettes contain cyanide! Unbelievable.