A WEAPONS-GRADE IRONY

Though levels decline with age, most men never need TRT (which is why they can father children into their eighties). In comparison, all women suffer oestrogen deficiency after menopause. Men who feel run down, Hameed advises, should be encouraged to look beyond hormones, including at lifestyle.

For some, however, hormones are synonymous with lifestyle. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is open about taking testosterone as part of an anti-ageing regimen and worries about falling levels among men (experts cite obesity, inactivity and poor sleep as possible causes). Kennedy is pushing for reduced warnings on some testosterone products. Interestingly, a small study published last year hinted that administering testosterone could shift a person’s political leaning slightly to the right.

Hegseth, meanwhile, has posted videos of himself running and lifting weights. Last year, he said it was unacceptable to have “fat generals and admirals” and railed against beards. Collectively, these messages from the top seem less about health and more about valorising sanitised masculinity.

There is, though, a weapons-grade irony in Hegseth trying to devise a build-your-own-warrior playbook given his previous attempts at changing health policy. In April, he abolished mandatory flu shots for military personnel; in June, after a serious outbreak in Texas that affected nearly 300 and hospitalised several recruits, the Pentagon reinstated the requirement.

Barking commands on bellies, beards and biceps is one thing but making your troops genuinely healthy and combat-ready means getting the basics right.