Cold virus may spur weight gain: study

[zephyrprime]

A common virus that causes colds can be a factor in obesity, according to a study released Monday offering further evidence that a weight problem may be contagious.
The adenovirus-36 (Ad 36) has already been implicated as the cause of weight gain in animals, but with this study researchers showed for the first time that it can also cause humans to pile on the pounds.

The findings could accelerate the development of a vaccine or an antiviral medication to help fight the battle of the bulge alongside diet and exercise.

"We're not saying that a virus is the only cause of obesity, but this study provides stronger evidence that some obesity cases may involve viral infections," said Magdalena Pasarica, an obesity researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

A previous study found that almost a third of obese people are infected with the virus compared to around one in 10 of their leaner counterparts.

In laboratory experiments, the Louisana State University researchers found that the bug appeared to promote the formation of fat cells from stem cells.

The team took adult stem cells from fatty tissue left over from patients who had undergone liposuction, a procedure to remove fat, and exposed some of it to Ad-36, leaving the rest untreated.

After a week of growth in tissue culture, most of the virus-infected adult stem cells developed into fat cells, whereas the untreated cells did not.

It's not clear what drives the transformation, how long the virus lingers in the human system or whether its fat-enhancing effect continues after the body has cleared the virus, the researchers said.

A study in animals found that they remained obese up to six months after the infection had cleared.

The Louisiana State University team is working on further studies to try and establish why some people with the virus develop obesity while others don't.

"Not all infected people will develop obesity," said Pasarica. "We would ultimately like to identify the underlying factors that predispose some obese people to develop this virus and eventually find a way to treat it."

Pasarica presented the results of her study at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

I believe this was first discovered in chickens some time ago when some farmers noticed that some chickens were fat despite eating the same amount of food as other chickes. I have a theory for why this virus works in the way it does also. The virus is treating your body like a big petri dish to facilitate its reproduction (viruses don't actually grow in petri dishes like bacteria do but humor me for a while). By making the host fat, the virus has a larger amount of biomass available to reproduce with thus giving itself an advantage over other viruses that don't make their hosts fat.

 

[HombrePequeno]

I remember reading about the study done on chickens. I'm not sure why this would have a significant effect now. Plus I would think it would have more of an effect in Europe where the population density is higher but their obesity rate are lower than here in the US.

 

[rpanic]

The virus is called Food

 

[StageLeft]

Damn, I KNEW the 5k calories/day and zero exercise were not the reason for my weight gain. It must be this.

But more to the point, maybe being fat in the first place just makes a person more likely to pick this virus up. May not be cause (virus) and effect (fat) as this article seems to hint.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Damn, I KNEW the 5k calories/day and zero exercise were not the reason for my weight gain. It must be this.

But more to the point, maybe being fat in the first place just makes a person more likely to pick this virus up. May not be cause (virus) and effect (fat) as this article seems to hint.

Doesn't sound like it based on the article:

[ ... ]
The team took adult stem cells from fatty tissue left over from patients who had undergone liposuction, a procedure to remove fat, and exposed some of it to Ad-36, leaving the rest untreated.

After a week of growth in tissue culture, most of the virus-infected adult stem cells developed into fat cells, whereas the untreated cells did not.

It's not clear what drives the transformation, how long the virus lingers in the human system or whether its fat-enhancing effect continues after the body has cleared the virus, the researchers said.

A study in animals found that they remained obese up to six months after the infection had cleared. ...

Seems pretty clearly defined to me (though further research is certainly in order).

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Damn, I KNEW the 5k calories/day and zero exercise were not the reason for my weight gain. It must be this.

But more to the point, maybe being fat in the first place just makes a person more likely to pick this virus up. May not be cause (virus) and effect (fat) as this article seems to hint.

Doesn't sound like it based on the article:

[ ... ]
The team took adult stem cells from fatty tissue left over from patients who had undergone liposuction, a procedure to remove fat, and exposed some of it to Ad-36, leaving the rest untreated.

After a week of growth in tissue culture, most of the virus-infected adult stem cells developed into fat cells, whereas the untreated cells did not.

It's not clear what drives the transformation, how long the virus lingers in the human system or whether its fat-enhancing effect continues after the body has cleared the virus, the researchers said.

A study in animals found that they remained obese up to six months after the infection had cleared. ...

Seems pretty clearly defined to me (though further research is certainly in order).

But there's no indication that being fat doesn't increase a person's suceptibility to this and at that point having it just accelerates the problem. This would be like some other ailments...maybe lack of exercise makes a person more likely to have heart disease, and then a person with heart disease finds they're at even more of a disadvantage when it comes to exercise, should they decide they want to do it.

 

[zephyrprime]

Originally posted by: SkoorbSeems pretty clearly defined to me (though further research is certainly in order).

But there's no indication that being fat doesn't increase a person's suceptibility to this and at that point having it just accelerates the problem. This would be like some other ailments...maybe lack of exercise makes a person more likely to have heart disease, and then a person with heart disease finds they're at even more of a disadvantage when it comes to exercise, should they decide they want to do it.
[/quote]
There's no indication that being fat does increase a person's suceptibility either. Anything's possible but your theory just adds additional complexity without any evidence. Given the evidence with the stems cells, it's simpler to suppose that the virus just makes people fat.

And since fat people get out less, that factor would make a fat person less likely to get the virus. On the other hand, fat people associate more with other fat people so that would make them more likely to get the virus.

 

[GenHoth]

Originally posted by: rpanic
The virus is called Food

lol

 

[rpanic]

One more reason for skinny guys to stay away from fat women, and I thought std?s were bad enough. LOL

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: rpanic
One more reason for skinny guys to stay away from fat women, and I thought std?s were bad enough. LOL

8 beer in it seemed like fun at the time until you woke up the next day sporting a double chin and 30 extra lbs. That'll learn ya.

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime

There's no indication that being fat does increase a person's suceptibility either. Anything's possible but your theory just adds additional complexity without any evidence. Given the evidence with the stems cells, it's simpler to suppose that the virus just makes people fat.

And since fat people get out less, that factor would make a fat person less likely to get the virus. On the other hand, fat people associate more with other fat people so that would make them more likely to get the virus.

bullshit.

Obseity does increase your risks of illness.


Get FAT and you are more likely to get sick

It has been well known that obese people do not live as long and have more health problems. Fatasses just love to deny it.

 

[rpanic]

Originally posted by: Shivetya

Originally posted by: zephyrprime

There's no indication that being fat does increase a person's suceptibility either. Anything's possible but your theory just adds additional complexity without any evidence. Given the evidence with the stems cells, it's simpler to suppose that the virus just makes people fat.

And since fat people get out less, that factor would make a fat person less likely to get the virus. On the other hand, fat people associate more with other fat people so that would make them more likely to get the virus.

bullshit.

Obseity does increase your risks of illness.


Get FAT and you are more likely to get sick

It has been well known that obese people do not live as long and have more health problems. Fatasses just love to deny it.

The health insurance companies been talking about raising insurance prices for fat people on and off the last ten years so they must cost more than skinny people.


I can see a whole bunch of new fights between spouses ? I know you have been with another man look how fat you have become? mm good way to keep spouse skinny.