French gourmets have traditionally shunned hot, spicy food - so they may be a little piqued by a study indicating that curry-loving men have higher testosterone.
Scientists at the respected University of Grenoble have published a report suggesting regular consumption of chili peppers may raise levels of the hormone, which is believed to make men more adventurous, enterprising and sexually active.
Professor Laurent Begue, one of the authors of the study, said: "These results are in line with a lot of research showing a link between testosterone and financial, sexual and behavioural risk-taking."
The research paper is to be published in the United States-based journal Physiology and Behaviour.
Begue said 114 men aged from 18 to 44, living in Grenoble, in southeastern France, had been in the study.
