Surveys have shown that up to 30% of men take sick days because of colds and flu, compared with just 22% of women – often dubiously citing ‘man flu’ as the reason they feel so ill.
調查顯示，多達30%的男人因傷風感冒（著涼）及流行性感冒請病假，相較之下，女人請假比率只有22%，而且男人時常含糊地提到，「男流感」才是他們覺得不適的原因。
But man flu may not be a myth after all thanks to research showing that men really are the weaker sex.
不過，男流感可能終究不是迷思，這多虧研究顯示男性確實是較弱的性別。
Researchers from McGill University in Montreal found that women have a more powerful immune system than men thanks to their hormones.
蒙特婁麥基爾大學的研究人員發現，女人擁有比男人更強健的免疫系統，這得歸功於她們的荷爾蒙。
The study showed that the female sex hormone oestrogen boosts the immune system’s first line of attack against bacteria and other invaders. The finding raises the possibility of using oestrogen-based drugs to shore up the male body’s defences.
該研究顯示，女性荷爾蒙雌激素強化了免疫系統對細菌及其他入侵物的第一線攻擊。這項發現升高了利用雌激素基礎藥物支撐男性身體防衛的可能性。
The research focused on an enzyme called caspase-12. It raises susceptibility to infection by blocking the inflammation the body uses to fight bacteria and other unwanted bugs.
這項研究焦點在於一種稱為Caspase-12的酵素。它會阻擋人體用來對抗細菌及其他有害微生物的發炎反應，讓人更容易受到感染。
It is thought the phenomenon has its roots deep in evolution, with healthy female bodies being key to reproduction.
據推斷，這個現象與演化有根深柢固的關係，因為健康的女性身體是繁衍後代之關鍵。
新聞辭典 Dictionary
sick day：（口語）病假。例句：Did Angela take a sick day today?（安琪拉今天請病假嗎？）至於「sick leave」則通常指長期的病假。
shore up：原指利用木頭或金屬製的支柱撐住不穩固的圍牆，引申出對運作不順利或可能失敗的事物加以「支撐、支持」的解釋。例句：The President shored up his own political position.（總統穩住自己的政治地位。）
bug：（口語）微生物；病菌；病毒。用法如：the flu bug（流感病毒）。
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