Can exercising affect body hair growth?

[HelPick2]

When I was an adolescent my parents told me that a lot of strenous physical exercise increases testosterone, thereby diminishing the hairiness on the chest and legs, because this will stimulate the testosterone and have it used for muscles rather than hairiness on the chest and legs; so they said to me, "Exercise a lot if you don't want to be harry."
Is there any truth to this?

 

[Soapy Sam]

harry?

Body hair distribution seems to be under genetic (ie hereditary) control.
I would expect the rate and strength of hair growth to be a result of nutrition superimposed on the underlying genetic potential.
Since the more work you do , the more calories and nutrients you need, then IF food input is held constant, it's probable that hair growth , as well as skeletal growth and muscle growth might be affected by work rates. I think the effect would be pretty minor though, unless you worked hard enough to suffer serious malnutrition. (I do not , under any circumstances, think such research would be ethical or wise).

Try Googling - Hair growth , nutrition, exercise
there seems to be no shortage of links. Did you ever ask your folks where THEY got their information?