Being the depths of winter, there's a good chance that many of us will be struck by the dreaded 'man flu' in the weeks ahead.
As per usual, sympathy from our other halves probably won't extend far beyond a bowl of chicken soup and a couple of Lemsips. After all, 'man flu' is no worse than a regular cold, except us blokes make a far, far bigger deal of it, don't we?
Well, according to new research from Royal Holloway University of London,
there could actually be such thing as man flu. Or at least that's the way we're interpreting the findings, anyway.
The research suggests that some infectious diseases may well have evolved to be more harmful to men than women, meaning us fellas could actually experience more severe symptoms than the fairer sex.
According to Francesco Ubeda, a co-author of the study, some viruses aren't quite as dangerous to women, as they attempt to be passed on to their children through birth or breast feeding:
"Viruses may be evolving to be less dangerous to women, looking to preserve the female population.
The virus wants to be passed from mother to child, either through breastfeeding, or just through giving birth."
Vincent Jansen (Dr Ubeda's co-author,
not the misfiring Spurs striker) added that some viruses might even be able to tell if its host is a man or a woman by detecting various differences.
So there you have it. Man flu may actually exist. Not that any of us are expecting any more sympathy from the women in our lives the next time we're flat out on the couch with a stinking cold.
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