Is the man flu real? Is being sick harder on men than on women?

 

By Brittany Da Silva

 

It’s December, which means two things: winter has officially arrived, and everyone is getting sick. Regardless of whether or not you’ve received your flu shot, it is difficult to avoid catching a cold when the weather outside is steadily dropping. But have you ever noticed the difference between a woman who’s feeling under the weather, versus a man?

 

Otherwise known as the “man flu,” many people believe that when men get sick, it affects them more than it does women. Those who believe this theory may or may not be primarily male. Non-believers (who are likely the majority of females) are more inclined to believe that men merely act as though they are sicker than women present to be. Is there any biological proof that men actually get sicker than women? Or are women just more likely to suck it up and carry on with their lives and responsibilities, as per usual?

 

This debate took center stage in a study entitled “Age and sex differences in immune response following LPS treatment in mice”, which was published in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity last year. In this study, adult male and female mice were exposed to bacteria that resulted in symptoms that were similar to the flu. When contracted, the adult male mice actually did present with more symptoms than the adult females, although they were both exposed to the same bacteria. The male mice also had more body temperature fluctuations, fever, inflammation, and their overall recovery was slower than the adult females.

 

Although the results of this study suggested that adult male mice were more drastically affected by illness than females, in the end, this was still a study done on mice. It’s difficult to use these results to support any kind of hypothesis in humans, as our physiology is so different. However, this study does prove that there is at least a possibility that sex can have an effect on how bacteria impacts the body.

 

The researchers behind this study on mice do not completely understand the reasoning behind why the male and female mice were affected in different ways by the same bacteria. One hypothesis suggests the difference may lie in the different hormones present within the male versus female body. It is believed that testosterone and estrogen may each have a different impact on the immune receptors within the body. This new study on mice was inconclusive on this matter, but previous studies suggest that there may still be a link between hormones and infection.

 

The jury is still out when it comes to the validity of the “man flu” in humans, but there is enough evidence to suggest that there is a possibility that men and women are affected by sickness in different ways. Nevertheless, your best bet to avoid ridicule is to protect yourself from the flu. Get your flu shot, wash your hands, and cover your mouth. At the very least – male or female – don’t over-exaggerate your symptoms. No one has time in their busy schedules to deal with the overdramatic!