Men have weaker immune systems than women, according to several studies. As a result, men are more susceptible to the symptoms of a cold than their women counterparts.
It has long been suggested that men are also more susceptible to viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infection compared to women, according to Telegraph. Women are known to have higher blood levels of proteins that immune cells pass around when the body is threatened by viruses, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Female hormone estrogen allows women to have strengthened immune systems, according to Dr. Sergio Diez Alvarez, the director of medicine at The Maitland and Kurri Kurri Hospital from the University of Newcastle. Testosterone, on the other hand, can impair the body's natural ability to fight off viruses. Men with lower testosterone levels also had a better immune response nearly equivalent to that of women.
In addition, the section of the brain that signals fever in case of inflammatory conditions is bigger in men. This can suggest that men have a stronger response to a cold compared to women, according to Daily Mail.
A 2015 study called the Personality and Health Satisfaction Project suggested that men cope less compared to women when it comes to physical illnesses. Men have a different threshold for perceiving symptoms, most especially when it comes to the common cold.
Another research supported this claim by saying that men reported symptoms more severely compared to women. Research from the University of Glasgow explained that men are more likely to overrate their symptoms.
A similar study by Stanford University School of Medicine studies the reactions of men and women to vaccinations against flu. The research concluded that women generally had a stronger antibody response to the vaccination compared to men. Consequently, this gave women more protection against the virus.
Despite being more susceptible to illnesses, females are still more likely to admit they are sick compared to men. About 16 percent of women are more likely to say they are ill compared men, according to a research by London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine. Despite accusing men of exaggerating when they have the flu, men still try to make it a point to hide their weaknesses.
