Canadian doctor claims man flu is real

Scientists have finally solved one of society's biggest questions: is “man flu” real?

The study by Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, which features sections the The Guardian describes as “somewhat tongue-in-cheek”, was conducted to determine whether men really do experience flu worse than women or whether it is just a myth.

Dr Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor at the university, found that men may not be exaggerating symptoms but might have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses.

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Sue analysed relevant research and “found evidence that adult men have a higher risk of hospital admission and higher rates of deaths associated with flu compared with women, regardless of underlying disease,” says Sky News.

“I do think that the research does point towards men having a weaker immune response when it comes to common viral respiratory infections and the flu,” said Sue. “This is shown in the fact that they [have] worse symptoms, they last longer, they are more likely to be hospitalised and more likely to die from it.”

He says the studies actually point to men having weaker immune systems than women.

“Testosterone is a hormone that actually acts as an immunosuppressant. Whereas estrogen works in the opposite direction. They stimulate the immune system,” he told CBC News. “So men with higher testosterone actually end up being more susceptible to viral respiratory and tend to get them worse.”

Sue suggests that dismissing men as malingerers who exaggerate their symptoms, without evidence to support the accusation, is unscientific and “could have important implications for men, including insufficient provision of care”.

He added that a less robust immune system might actually have an evolutionary benefit, as it has allowed men to invest their energy in other biological processes, “such as growth, secondary sex characteristics and reproduction”.

There are also “benefits to energy conservation when ill,” says Sue.

“Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionary behaviours that protect against predators.”

The Canadian doctor admits the evidence is limited, particularly since much of it involved mice. He added more higher-quality research needs to be done to determine conclusively whether man flu is an actual medical phenomenon.