Every woman knows her man can act like he’s on his deathbed at the mere hint of a sniffle, but there could be some truth to “man flu”, according to new research.
Scientists (male scientists, we might add) claim to have dispelled the man flu myth by saying that men are more susceptible to disease because they invest their lives with more of a spirit of adventure at the expense of their immune systems, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported.
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Researchers at the University of Cambridge believe that a male evolutionary preference for a “live fast, die young” lifestyle means that they have neglected to build up their immune systems like women have, making them more likely to catch diseases and keep them for longer.
The scientists applied mathematical models to various factors that characterise males and females and found that while men’s adventurous lifestyle exposed them to more diseases it also paradoxically made them less immune to them.
“In many cases, males tend to be more prone to get infected or less able to clear infection,” researcher Dr Olivier Restif said.
“Proposed mechanisms include interference between male hormones and immunity, as well as risk-taking behaviour.”
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One of the reasons for this is that men continue to support their reproductive systems even when they are ill, which is part of a competitive nature they have evolved over time, even at the expense of getting better.
“Our results show that, under a range of genetic and ecological constraints, males and females can evolve different levels of immune defences, sometimes at odds with intuitive expectations,” Dr Restif said.
“Under this scenario, the model predicts that overall, females should try to clear infection rapidly, regardless of the relative risk of catching infection. In contrast, males are selected to decrease their immune defences and remain sexually active during infection if their exposure to infection is high.
Your say: Do you think man flu is a myth and that men just love to complain? Share your thoughts below.
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