ABSTRACT
Various reasons have been suggested for this situation, such as the possibility that men may die earlier because they take more risks. But a team of British scientists have recently found a likely answer in the immune system, which protects the body from diseases. The thymus is the organ which produces the T cells which actually combat illnesses. Although both sexes suffer from deterioration of the thymus as they age, women appear to have more T cells in their bodies than men of the same age. It is this, the scientists believe, that gives women better protection from potentially fatal diseases such as influenza and pneumonia.
