The hormonal rollercoaster that women ride during and after pregnancy is well known and well documented. Men, it's popularly presumed, just sit on the sidelines, watching, maybe eating popcorn and smiling sympathetically.

But a new study out of Northwestern University suggests that guys — in particular, new fathers — face their own less-than-thrilling drop... in testosterone.

Researchers tested 465 men participating in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Study, which began in the Philippines in 1983 when the volunteers were all just a year old. In 2005, when the men were all approximately 21, those who were single had their testosterone levels measured when they woke and when they went to sleep. Four years later, the measurements were repeated with the same men; half had become fathers.

The scientists found that men who had remained single had only a small, age-related decline (12-15 percent) in testosterone levels while new fathers — those with a baby between 1 month and 1 year — showed levels dropping 30 percent on average. Hormone levels in fathers of newborns declined four to five times those in single men and twice as much as fathers of older children.

Researchers suggest that, like new mothers, new fathers adjust biologically to their parenting role. "Newborn babies come with really intense physical, emotional and psychological changes," study author Lee Gettler told LiveScience. We kind of see men's biology responding to that."

What about the, uh, marriage relationship?

"The reason sex life changes, with parenthood, is a lot more complicated than that a father's testosterone levels go down," said Gettler. "The reality is there's not a terribly strong relationship between testosterone levels and libido."

GET ME THAT. STAT!

Everybody knows that the United States is the fattest country on Earth, with 30.6 percent of the population judged obese (a Body Mass Index of 30 and above). Who rounds out the fatty top five, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development it's: Mexico at 24.2 percent, United Kingdom at 23 percent, Slovakia at 22.4 percent and Greece at 21.9 percent.

LIFE IN BIG MACS

One hour of sitting playing cards burns 102 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs with cheese.

STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM

The sugar and corn industries are locking horns over the latter's efforts to re-brand "high fructose corn syrup," HFCS, as "corn sugar." In recent years, high fructose corn syrup has garnered a nasty reputation as an unhealthful sweetener and major cause of obesity in the United States. Corn producers, who obviously provide the raw material for HFCS, want to rename it something more benign and appealing.

Will it work? That remains to be seen. First, the corn folks have to get past the sugar folks who don't want to be associated with anything they contend is unnatural and highly processed. (Hey, that's their argument.) If the corn industry succeeds, there's evidence they could very well be successful in re-branding, too. In 1988, growers wanted to boost sales of the ugly-named "low eurcic acid rapeseed oil." So they changed it to something that became much, much more popular: canola oil.

DOC TALK

Aortic coarctation — a dangerous narrowing of the aorta, the main artery of the body.

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Hmartophobia — fear of sinning

NEVER SAY DIET

The world's speed-eating record for peanut butter and banana sandwiches is 36 in 10 minutes, held by Bob Shoudt.

BEST MEDICINE

Q: What's the most commonly misspelled blood group?

A: Typo

OBSERVATION

"I'm a light eater. As soon as it's light, I start eating."— Comedian Doug Larson

LAST WORDS

"Is it not meningitis?" — American author Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). Alcott was chronically ill and took a turn for the worse after visiting her father. She suspected meningitis, but, in fact, likely died of mercury poisoning from an earlier treatment for typhoid fever.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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