All women know that 'male flu' exists and now here is the proof.
A survey of 600 people in Britain by healthcare firm Benenden has found that one in three men have taken time off sick because of the illness, compared with one in five women.
"Women have all seen men making a meal of a sniffle and claiming a bit of a cold is the latest deadly flu virus," said a spokeswoman.
But this is not entirely a laughing matter.
"Colds also have a nasty habit of working their way around the workplace," she added, "so it is important that staff take time off when they are suffering to reduce the chances of passing it on to their colleagues."