When your masculinity is compromised – and we’re talking on a hormonal level, not screaming at a spider in the tub or a botched attempt at a fairground hammer game – finding the culprit often means going balls deep.

Aside from the libido-enhancer we commonly know it as, testosterone dictates everything from your mental health to the snugness of your shirt sleeves.

While it’s a sad fact of life that hitting the age of 30 marks the beginning of a steady decline in T-levels, omitting certain things from your lifestyle can help maintain the fire in your loins and the bulge in your biceps a little longer.

Alcohol

A bit of Dutch courage is enough to give some blokes the kind of primitive manliness to take on grizzly bears (or go on a first date).

But when bottoms are up, testosterone must come down. According to the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, alcohol consumption not only negatively impacts testosterone production, but it can also cause oxidative damage to testosterone molecules already in circulation.

Chewing Gum

Bad breath may be a turn-off, but the solution could be turning you off.

An animal study published in The Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology found that spearmint and other varieties of menthol often found in chewing gum can suppress testosterone. A sticky situation, indeed.

Full Fat Coke

Measuring the correlation between sugar intake and testosterone, an Oxford University study found a 25 per cent drop in the levels of men who consumed 75 grams of the sweet stuff a day.

Sure, reaching for the red can might help see you through a slow afternoon in the office, but it’s also adding a hefty 39g of refined sugar to your daily total, so you’re probably best off with a bottle of water.

Lack Of Sleep

It’s time to wake up to some testosterone truths. Insufficient shut-eye causes the body to produce more of the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn blocks the production of testosterone.