Your mom or dad may have encouraged you as a youngster to bundle up so that you didn’t catch a cold. What they may have not warned you about (probably because they did not know) was that keeping warm and away from viruses may also help you avoid gaining weight. I know this sounds ridiculous and a little outlandish but it seems to be true. You might be able to “catch” obesity.
A University of Wisconsin study, unrelated to weight loss, found that chickens injected with the Adenoviruses gained a substantial amount of weight. These are the same viruses that cause upper respiratory infections and other common illnesses in humans. Not every strain led to weight loss but some did. While this is a rather new finding and one that must be researched further and in humans to in order to determine its’ validity, it still is very interesting and sure to be followed up on.
Scientists are also starting to believe that stem cells may also have the ability to cause individuals to gain weight. Stem cells can change and transform. They can also become fat cells when they come into contact with Adenoviruses. The virus will multiply the number of fat cells and also increase the fat within these cells, making it doubly worse.
Studies comparing twins have found that the heavier twin tended to have antibodies from the adenovirus-26 virus, while the thinner twin did not. This suggests that the virus may at least be partly responsible for causing obesity.
With all of this new and interesting information concerning weight gain and viruses, it brings the question of the ability of a vaccine to that could be administered to protect people from obesity. Why not? It certainly does not seem impossible especially if they can narrow down the “fat virus.” Today, you can get a vaccine for the Flu, the Mumps, cervical cancer and a host of other dangerous viruses. Many people visit their doctor’s offices or local clinics every year to help defend them selves from illnesses like the flu. Why not do likewise with obesity?
Being overweight and obese is becoming a serious problem in the United States. People are becoming sicker and having higher incidences of chronic illness simply because they are overweight. While the physical dangers of being overweight are often reported, what is underreported is the social and emotional damage felt by those that are overweight. Persons that are overweight may feel unable to be themselves, go out in public or enjoy life fully.
There are many types of recognized discrimination. However, discrimination against people who are significantly over weight is often not addressed and largely ignored. It seems OK to tell “fat” jokes even though this type of behavior would be totally unaccepted and even illegal against other populations.
If it is possible for scientist to pinpoint any extra factors outside of poor diet and lack of exercise that may cause persons to gain weight, millions of people would have one more tool in their arsenal to fight weight gain. While we will have to wait and see what comes from the above research, the possibilities are really exciting.
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