Sex before sport can be a boost

GOOD news for athletes, though possibly not for their partners – sex before sport does not leave competitors drained... and can actually boost results. For years, many coaches have banned players from having sex the night before an event, claiming it saps the body of testosterone and energy.

British Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Linford Christie once said a romp before a race made his legs feel like lead.

But scientists now believe that rather than hamper performance, sex at least two hours before sport can lead to better results.

The long-held belief has been challenged in an Italian study by Doctor Laura Stefani, assistant professor of sports medicine at the University of Florence. She said: “We show no robust scientific evidence to indicate sexual activity has a negative effect upon athletic results.”

The researchers reassessed nine studies relating to the impact of sexual activity on sport, having sifted through hundreds.

One found the strength of female former athletes was unaffected if they had sex; another noted a beneficial effect on the performance of marathon runners.

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, she said: “The evidence actually suggests sexual activity may have a beneficial effect on sports performance.”