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In countries like South Korea, even though more women were tested positive for Covid-19, more men have died due to the deadly disease.(Photo: Reuters)

When it comes to fighting the deadly novel coronavirus which has killed over 2 million people globally, worldwide data suggest that the mortality rate is much higher in men than women.

In an exclusive interview to India Today, Dr Sharon Moalem, a Canadian-born physician and rare disease specialist, explained why women fared better in fighting Covid-19 than men.

"Females have two X chromosomes whereas males have one X and one Y chromosome. X chromosomes are necessary for survival and contain important genes related to the brain. Y chromosomes, on the other hand, are found only in males and are not crucial for survival. Men are more biologically fragile due to this," Dr Sharon Moalem, who is also the author of 'The Better Half: On the Genetic Superiority of Women' said.

In countries like South Korea, even though more women were tested positive for Covid-19, more men have died due to the disease.

"Men have more muscle mass and more physical strength and that doesn't mean longevity or long life. However, women -- who have XX chromosome --- are born with the advantage of longevity," Dr Moalem said.

'Men are biologically more fragile'

According to Dr Moalem, another reason why women are genetically tougher than men is that they have stronger immune systems due to the presence of estrogen in their body.

"Women, along with double XX chromosome power, also have hormones in their body like estrogen which is good for immunity. Men have testosterone which reduces immunity further. Men are more biologically fragile," Dr Moalem said.

Traditionally, women have always fared better than men when fighting an infection or famine. Women also fight cancer better, Dr Moalem said.

"This is because women have the power of double X power. This gives the female an advantage from the day they are born," Dr Moalem said.

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Why coronavirus is killing more men than women | Expert explains - India Today

This entry was posted on April 20, 2020 at 5:43 am and is filed under Longevity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |