Women Better Than Men at Fighting the Flu, Says Study

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A study revealed that women can better defend themselves when sicl with the flue compared to men. The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine have been studying cells taken from noses of men and women who were exposed to strains of flu virus. The participants were later treated with estrogen and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), which deliver similar effects to estrogen, per Bustle.

"We conducted our study using primary cells directly isolated from patients, allowing us to directly identify the sex-specific effect of estrogens," said lead study author Sabra Klein via the American Physiological Society. "This is the first study to identify the estrogen receptor responsible for the antiviral effects of estrogens, bringing us closer to understanding the mechanisms mediating this conserved antiviral effect of estrogens," Klein added.

Within 24 to 72 hours of the treatment, the researchers learned that the women were able to fight off and recover faster from the illness compared to the men. In other words, estrogen helps women at defending themselves against flu.

Their estrogen apparently limited the replication of the flu virus, hence the women's symptoms were more manageable. The estrogen also helped in preventing the spread of flu to others. On the other hand, even with SERMs treatment, the virus continued to thrive in the men's bodies.

Further, the researchers found out that some women seemed to have weaker or compromised immune systems due to certain conditions that affect estrogen levels. When a woman is either pregnant, or taking birth control pills, or in premenopausal or post-menopausal stages, her hormone fluctuates. Hence, she might need better protection against the flu virus under these conditions.

Klein also said that the idea to study estrogen cells against the flu virus was inspired by past studies on the hormone's antiviral properties in fighting off more serious medical conditions like Ebola and HIV, per AOL.

With what the researches now know about a woman's physiology, it is suggested that experts study better ways to combat flu in women, per Health. The researchers suggest that a therapeutic estrogen treatment could be one solution. However, further research is still required to determine its feasibility to public health. Currently, therapeutic estrogen is being used for hormonal fertility treatments, per the FDA.

Back in 2013, a separate study done in Stanford University showed that testosterone, the primary hormone found in men, contributed to the weakening of their immune system. It suggested that men have a harder time fighting off flu because of this.