There may actually be something to the observation many women have that men act like babies when they get the sniffles — or flu.
A research team from Ghent University in Belgium claims women are stronger when it comes to the immunological defense they raise against the flu and other illnesses, according to a story on msnbc.com.
The scientists hypothesize that differences in how parts of X chromosome RNA work with genes partially explains why women appear to combat trauma and infection better and live longer than men. (Think back to high school biology: Women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome.)
However, other experts offer doubt that the sexes — react differently to the flu — biologically speaking, at least.
“If there were any significant differences” in immune response, “then why do we give the same vaccine doses?” asked Don J. Diamond, director of translational vaccine research and professor of virology at City Hope in Duarte, Calif. “There has never been a vaccine released for human use that uses a different dose for males or females.”
To read the complete msnbc.com story, Go Here.
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