New Study Shows Women are Stronger than Men

A recent research has shown that the male and female immune system react differently to viruses perhaps allaying fears of the perception that males are the stronger sex.

The study published in the journal "Brain Behavior and Immunity" showed adult male mice revealing more symptoms of sicknesses than their female counterparts when they were exposed to bacteria causing the flu.

Studies involving mice, which share over 70 per cent similarity with human DNA have shown that male immune cells react more actively on some pathogens according to Sabra Klein, associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 “It’s our immune response, and the research shows that males have a heightened response that summons cells to the site of infection, which contributes to the overall feeling of sickness,” says Klein.

However, the research failed to find a direct link between sex hormones and sickness, because even after removing the sex organs of the mice, they still had different responses.

Interestingly, Klein's study two years ago found that estrogen-based compounds made it harder for the flu virus.

A 2010 study by researchers at the University of Cambridge, showed that men have evolved to have weaker immune systems and lower immunity because of their tendency for risk-taking behaviors.

Additionally, other research says that because women are likelier to transmit pathogens onto their kids, they have acquired more natural defenses against them.

According to researchers at Cambridge University, evolutionary factors may have led women to develop more rigorous immune systems than men due to differing reproductive strategies.

Similarly, a 2011 study conducted at the University of Queensland posits that female hormones like oestrogens help pre-menopausal women to fight infections, but the protection ceases after menopause.