Health and Beauty
Man Flu - Fact or Fiction?
Ladies... the truth is out! Experts have said that 'man-flu' does actually exist!
For years men have taken quite a battering over exaggerating what we think is just a slight sniffle but in fact men who produce high levels of testosterone do have a weaker immune system. Men with a lower level of testoterone and also women have a better tolerance to illnesses. Following a study by Stanford University School of Medicine where they examined both men and women after having a flu jab, they concluded that women had a stronger antibody response to the jab than men, giving them better protection against the virus.
Another fact found was that women had higher blood levels of signaling proteins that immune cells pass back and forth, when the body is under threat.
Previous research has found that testosterone has anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting a possible interaction between the male sex hormone and immune response.
Professor of microbiology and immunology Mark Davis said: “This is the first study to show an explicit correlation between testosterone levels, gene expression and immune responsiveness in humans.
“It could be food for thought to all the testosterone-supplement takers out there.”
It has also been suggested that perhaps viruses may adapt to preserve women as they are “a more valuable host”.
Interesting indeed...!