Does a male flu really exist? The suffering sex

Men catch colds more often than women, and the infections are more severe. This was the result of a study by Beatrix Grubeck-Loebenstein, who is researching at the University of Innsbruck.

Estrogen protects against cold
The reason for this is the defense system of the female body. For example, estrogens protect against infectious diseases and so against colds.

Men are more exposed to viruses than women. The reason is testosterone. (Casther / fotolia.com)

There is the "male flu"
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore tested the impact of the female hormone estrogen. They took men's cells from the nasal mucosa. They then added estrogen and finally infected the cells with the influenza A virus. In men, estrogen had no effect.

Women react to estrogen
The situation was quite different for the women in the study: Here, additional estrogen effectively combated the virus.

Promotes testosterone infections?
Researchers have long known that testosterone influences influenza vaccines. Scientists at the prestigious Stanford University have now come to the conclusion that women show significantly more antibodies after a flu shot than men. And the more testosterone men have, the less antibodies they produce.

The genes are responsible
Stanford University identified a number of genes involved in lipid metabolism and lipid metabolism disorders that slow down the response of the immune system. These react intensively to the male hormone testosterone.

Why testosterone?
This disadvantage could have prevailed because the advantage in evolution was greater. If the immune system reacts weaker, it does not react.

Why is the female immune system stronger?
The double X chromosomes are, according to American studies, the reason for the stronger immune system of women. Thus, the X chromosome contains more genes for the immune defense than the Y chromosome. Therefore, B and T cells are much more active as motor of the immune system in women.

Disadvantages of the strong immune system
This strong immune system also has disadvantages. Women are more likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases than men, for example, the butterfly lichen. This affects women almost twice as often as men.

Multiple sclerosis instead of cold?
While women are less affected by the flu, cold and other viruses, they are more often affected by multiple sclerosis or rheumatism (Dr Utz Anhalt).