Ladies, next time your other half comes down with man flu - that is, when he thinks his cold is much worse than you do - pause before telling him to pull himself together.
Research suggests men's immune systems are not as effective at fighting off viruses - so he probably is suffering when he comes down with the sniffles.
The study established that testosterone has a 'damping effect' on the way the male body fights the virus.
Therefore the scientists said that men with more testosterone - supposedly the more manly specimens - are the most susceptible to the flu.
Professor Mark Davis, who led the study at Stanford University, Californa, said the reasons for the difference may lie in the evolutionary role of the male as hunter-gatherer. He said men were prone to suffer wounds from competitive encounters with other men, as well as from hunting, defending family members and hauling objects around, which meant they were also more likely to catch diseases.
Because their immune systems were called into action more often, this could have lead to problems with the immune system overreacting causing autoimmune disorders in which the body attacks itself.
Therefore over time the male immune system has evolved to become less active, Dr Davis thinks, resulting in a 'weaker, but not too weak, immune system'.
Researchers injected 53 women and 34 men with an influenza vaccine, which is a mild version of the flu virus.
They found women produced significantly more antibodies to ward off the virus.
Men with higher levels of testosterone had a lower antibody response, suggesting the hormone played a role in 'damping' the immune system. The researchers also found that the men with more testosterone displayed lower levels of activity in a set of genes involved in the functioning of the immune system.
They think that testosterone may prevent those genes from 'switching on' - a theory that will need further research. Professor Davis said the study, published in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a warning to those who take testosterone supplements, often for body building, but also for help in the bedroom.
He 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 supplements takers out there.'
The discovery could also help explain why men are more susceptible to a whole range of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.
It may also be the reason why men's immune systems respond less strongly to many vaccinations, for example against yellow fever, measles, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.
[Daily Mail]
Research suggests men's immune systems are not as effective at fighting off viruses - so he probably is suffering when he comes down with the sniffles.
The study established that testosterone has a 'damping effect' on the way the male body fights the virus.
Therefore the scientists said that men with more testosterone - supposedly the more manly specimens - are the most susceptible to the flu.
Professor Mark Davis, who led the study at Stanford University, Californa, said the reasons for the difference may lie in the evolutionary role of the male as hunter-gatherer. He said men were prone to suffer wounds from competitive encounters with other men, as well as from hunting, defending family members and hauling objects around, which meant they were also more likely to catch diseases.
Because their immune systems were called into action more often, this could have lead to problems with the immune system overreacting causing autoimmune disorders in which the body attacks itself.
Therefore over time the male immune system has evolved to become less active, Dr Davis thinks, resulting in a 'weaker, but not too weak, immune system'.
Researchers injected 53 women and 34 men with an influenza vaccine, which is a mild version of the flu virus.
They found women produced significantly more antibodies to ward off the virus.
Men with higher levels of testosterone had a lower antibody response, suggesting the hormone played a role in 'damping' the immune system. The researchers also found that the men with more testosterone displayed lower levels of activity in a set of genes involved in the functioning of the immune system.
They think that testosterone may prevent those genes from 'switching on' - a theory that will need further research. Professor Davis said the study, published in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a warning to those who take testosterone supplements, often for body building, but also for help in the bedroom.
He 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 supplements takers out there.'
The discovery could also help explain why men are more susceptible to a whole range of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.
It may also be the reason why men's immune systems respond less strongly to many vaccinations, for example against yellow fever, measles, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.
[Daily Mail]
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire