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Background: The oxidative handicap hypothesis posits that testosterone-dependent traits, such as muscle mass and strength, may be costly to develop due to testosterone's pro-oxidative properties, leading to increased oxidative stress. This hypothesis suggests that only individuals with superior biological conditions can afford these costs. This study examines the oxidative handicap hypothesis, exploring the relationship between muscle mass or handgrip strength and oxidative stress markers in men., Methods: Handgrip strength and muscle mass were measured in 179 men, with muscle mass assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and handgrip strength measured using a hydraulic dynamometer. Serum testosterone levels and antioxidant capacity were measured. 8-OH-dG, 8-epi-PGF2α, and protein carbonyls were measured to evaluate oxidative stress level. Pearson's correlation and multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between handgrip strength, muscle mass, and oxidative stress markers, controlling for age, serum testosterone levels, and antioxidant capacity., Results: No significant correlations were found between handgrip strength and oxidative stress markers, even when controlling for muscle mass, antioxidant capacity, testosterone levels, and age., Conclusions: The study's findings do not support the oxidative handicap hypothesis in the context of muscle parameters in men. The results suggest that testosterone-driven traits like handgrip strength or muscle mass may not necessarily incur oxidative stress costs in healthy young men, possibly due to effective compensatory antioxidant mechanisms. Factors like lifestyle, diet, and genetic predisposition, which were not controlled in this study, could also influence the observed outcomes and should be included in future research., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The recruitment and data collection procedure was approved by the Bioethics Commission at the Wrocław Medical University (number 222/2019). Each participant signed an informed consent to participate in the study and to use the obtained data for scientific purposes. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Digit ratio, especially second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is used as a biomarker of prenatal testosterone exposure and was found associated with physical ability, such as handgrip strength (HGS). Recently, this association has been discussed in several ethnic groups.Aims: To investigate correlations between 2D:4D and HGS in Chinese population of Ningxia Hui ethnicity.Methods: Here we firstly present the evidence on digit ratio and HGS of 346 college students (119 males and 227 females) by collecting photographs and HGS of both hands at Yinchuan city, in the Ningxia province of China.Results: Females have higher mean values of digit ratio than males; significant variances of 3D:5D (left and right: P<0.05), 2D:3D, 3D:4D (left and right: P<0.01) and 2D:4D, 2D:5D (left and right: P<0.001) were found between different sex. Males showed significantly greater HGS than females on both hands. 2D:4D of both hands were significantly negative correlated with HGS in females (but not in males).Conclusions: 2D:4D ratio is negatively correlated with HGS in a Chinese population (especially in females) of Ningxia Hui ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]