Ladies: Stop calling the men in your life wimps when they catch a cold and whine about it: That’s the message of a new article in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.
In it, Dr. Kyle Sue, a (male) clinical assistant professor in family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Health Sciences Centre, reviews prior research in a not-so-subtle attempt to demonstrate that men really may experience worse cold and flu symptoms than women, and that their suffering may even have an evolutionary basis.
He’s mildly successful. For one, some research suggests that men’s immune systems are more fragile (or “less robust,” in his terms) than women’s, perhaps in part due to hormonal differences. Higher testosterone levels, for example, may actually be associated with poorer immune systems, Sue tells U.S. News he was surprised to learn. “In reality, I have indeed been ‘manning up’ when I have the flu,” he says.
Of course, a “less robust” immune system isn’t a sign of weakness, but an evolutionary adaptation that has allowed men to invest their energy in biological processes like reproduction, some researchers theorize. “Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionarily behaviours that protect against predators,” Sue writes in the paper.
Other research finds men are more prone to complications and mortality from many short-term respiratory illnesses. Additionally, one study in Hong Kong found guys were more likely than gals to be hospitalized for seasonal influenza, while a study in the U.S. found men were more likely to die from the flu or related causes than women in the same age groups.
Perhaps most compelling (to Sue and his male brethren, at least) is an unscientific survey finding men’s symptoms linger longer and therefore, their caregivers should “go that extra mile to care for us … so that future shelves can be erected, cars can be maintained and football stadia throughout the land can be well attended,” the survey’s (male) authors wrote.
Case closed?
Not quite. Even Sue admits that the research isn’t strong enough to truly know whether “man flu” is real, and so rigorous studies mostly involving the pampering of men should be conducted. So, too, should there be research exploring whether men with the most tender immune systems (aka those with the most testosterone) are in fact the most successful bed mates. “In other words,” he writes, “can the blame for man flu be shifted to the people who select these men as sexual partners rather than the men themselves?”
But until such studies are conducted, society should step up to the plate, Sue concludes. “Perhaps now is the time for male friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort.”
8 Secrets of People Who Don’t Get Sick
10 Cold and Flu Myths Debunked
More from U.S. News
Old-School Cold Remedies That Really Work
How to Disinfect Germ Hotspots
Can You Trust Your ‘Yuck’ Reflex?
Man Caves Should Be Built Everywhere, Study on ‘Man Flu’ Concludes originally appeared on usnews.com
