Women really are ruled by their hormones
By ANIFriday, June 18, 2010
MELBOURNE - A new US study has shown that women are indeed ruled by their hormones.
They are more sensitive to a key stress hormone with even small amounts sending their emotions into a whirl, while men are relatively immune to even high amounts of the chemical, which is called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). It helps control the body’s reaction to stress.
Dr Rita Valentino, of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the US, carried out the study in rats.
“This is an animal study carried out on rats and we cannot say that the biological mechanism is the same in people,” The Courier Mail quoted Valentino as saying.
“But researchers already know that CRF regulation is disrupted in stress-related psychiatric disorders, so this research may be relevant to the underlying human biology.
“This may help to explain why women are twice as vulnerable as men to stress-related disorders,” Valentino added.
The experiment showed that the hormone bound more tightly to female rats, especially those of stressed-out female rats, making them more sensitive to its effects.
Male rats, on the other hand, did not respond to the doses. They were able to reduce levels of the protein, stopping the hormone from binding and reducing its effects on the brain.
The study is published the journal Molecular Psychiatry. (ANI)
