Flu Vaccine May Work Better in Women
- By BSTQ Staff
New research shows that women have a stronger immune response than men when given the flu vaccine, which may mean vaccinated women are better protected against catching the flu than vaccinated men. In the study, researchers examined the inflammatory responses of 53 women and 34 men following a flu vaccination. They found that men had a weaker response, or less inflammation in their bodies, than women after receiving the vaccine, and the response was weakest among some of the men who had the highest testosterone levels. The finding “reinforces the message that there are major differences between men and women in terms of their immune systems,” said Mark Davis, one of the study’s researchers and a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford School of Medicine. While this study didn’t look directly at whether men and women have different levels of flu protection after vaccination, Davis said other studies suggest they do.
Why men and women have different levels of protection is unclear, but genetics are suspected. The researchers found that the vaccine activated certain genes, and this activation predicted who would have the weakest flu shot response. “There were a set of genes that were activated, or up-regulated, in men, and that showed the difference,” said David Furman, a postdoctoral researcher in Davis’ lab and first author on the study. “It turns out that those having the highest testosterone levels and the expression of these gene signatures” have a bad immune response to the vaccine. “It turns out that testosterone suppresses inflammation, and that inflammation can be a problem in lots of circumstances. It’s a necessary part of immunity … but if it gets out of hand, it can kill you,” explained Davis.
Davis hopes that their study will open the door for subsequent research in this area, including a study that might suggest ways of improving flu shots, perhaps by adding an ingredient to shots given to men.
