Due to the way the immune system works, men suffer more severely from the flu compared to women, and also have a higher risk of developing cancer. Nutritionist Jenna Hope warned about this, writes the Daily Mail.

Hope explained that the female sex hormones progesterone and estrogen help fight viruses and bacteria more effectively, while the male hormone testosterone, on the contrary, suppresses the immune system. According to the nutritionist, this is the reason why men have a more severe course of viral and infectious diseases.

Professor of mathematical biology Francisco Ubeda de Torres from Royal Holloway University in the UK believes that differences in protective functions between men and women formed gradually during the process of evolution. He explained that in order to survive, women needed to bear a healthy child and pass on protection from pathogens to it, so their immunity became stronger. For men, he said, it was more important to have developed muscles and physical strength, since they were more likely to die in fights and accidents than from disease.

Ubeda de Torres added that the body characteristics of men and women affect not only how they tolerate the flu. According to him, women are much more likely to develop autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system begins to work too actively and attacks healthy cells. Meanwhile, men are at greater risk of developing cancer, the professor pointed out. “This is because a weaker immune response allows pathogens to interact with cells longer and influence their genetics,” Ubeda de Torres said.

Earlier, rehabilitation specialist Oksana Tsyshkova told how influenza differs from other types of ARVI. According to her, the flu, unlike simple viral infections, can cause serious complications if left untreated.