With the seasonal coolness comes and the so-called male flu - a phenomenon where the influenza virus affects men stronger than women, at least, so say the men themselves. However, one researcher nevertheless evaluated the testimony of all the pros and cons of this phenomenon.
"The concept of male flu, as it is usually determined, is potentially unfair,"
"says Kyle Sue, a physician at the University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Canada.
According to Sue, in search of related research, he was inspired by his own memories of the flu. Having done the appropriate work, he summarized the results in a "Christmas" article published in the British Medical Journal. The latter, however, is known for its specialization in comic themes of scientific research.
This problem has been the object of research before. The main explanation for the excessive vulnerability of men remained that women have higher levels of the estradiol hormone, which has the property of stimulating the immune system. In the case of men, they have a high level of testosterone, which can sometimes suppress the immune system. Thus scientists mark, that both types of hormones can differently influence immunity depending on a case.