In compiling other studies, he discovered men are more likely to be admitted to the hospital for flu symptoms than women, that women generally have a better response to vaccination than men, and in one observational study, more men had flu-related deaths in the U.S. between 1997-2007.

What do you call a common cold when it strikes down a man in his prime? Do men suffer from worse flu symptoms than women?

A review of scientific literature suggests those who believe "man flu" is more intense than the female version have some evidence to back up their views. For starters, his study didn't take into consideration other differences between sexes, like the fact that men smoke at higher rates than women (a possibly major contribution to how their bodies processes colds and flus) and are less likely to take preventive care of themselves or seek medical attention when ill.

Similarly, other evidence indicated that the onset of flu might trigger a stronger immune response amongst women than men.

The article also reveals that a survey in a popular magazine found that men took twice as long to recover from such viral illnesses as women. One theory is that testosterone boosts aggressive behavior and the development of secondary sexual characteristics and so allows men to win at competitions - overriding the cost of the hormone's immune system suppressing effects. But, a new study shows that it's real.

Dr Kyle Sue said men are not making it up when they complain more.

Sue did discover several studies that suggest female mice have a stronger immune system than the males of the species.

In response to the evidence Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of Global Positioning System said that there is no such thing as man flu, as she said 'flu is not sexist'.

"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", he told The Guardian.

"I think the symptoms are real", Sue said. "We already screen men earlier for cardiovascular diseases because they are more susceptible".

I wonder who funded this pointless #ManFlu research? "Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionarily behaviours that protect against predators".

"No scientific review has examined whether the term "man flu" is appropriately defined or just an ingrained pejorative term with no scientific basis", he writes in an article published December 11 in the British Medical Journal.

Sue further supports his claim about hormones by pointing out that pregnant people - who undergo significant hormonal shifts - are more affected by influenza symptoms than women who are not pregnant.