How hormones and microbes drive the gender bias in autoimmune diseases
Thursday, August 22, 2013 - 13:30
in Health & Medicine
Females can mount more powerful immune responses than males, but the flip side of this enhanced protection against infections is a greater risk for autoimmune disorders. A new study reveals that certain gut microbes prevalent in males can help protect them against type 1 diabetes. The study demonstrates that these microbes cooperate with sex hormones to cause this gender bias and provides an important framework that could lead to better treatments.