Re: Obesity caught like common cold

OBESITY BUG YOU CAN CATCH

OBESITY can be “caught” as easily as a common cold from other people’s
coughs, sneezes and dirty hands, scientists will claim today.

Researchers believe that an airborne “adenovirus” germ could be
causing the fat plague that is blighting Britain and other countries.

As many as one in three obese people may have become overweight after
falling victim to the highly infectious cold-like virus, known as
AD-36.

It is known to cause coughs, sore throats, diarrhoea and
conjunctivitis but has now also been found to make fat cells multiply,
leading to weight gain.

The shocking discovery will add to evidence that Britain’s obesity
epidemic is not simply down to an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise.

Research suggests a third of UK adults will be grossly overweight
within three years, with Britain even predicted to overtake the US as
the most obese nation in the world.

The problem already causes 9,000 premature deaths in the UK a year and
costs the NHS £1billion.

Many experts already believe that genes can make some people more
susceptible to weight gain and now it seems that infections could also
hold the key.

Studies have shown that chickens and mice infected with AD-36 put on
weight quicker than uninfected animals, even when they were not given
extra food. It has also been found to cause huge weight gain in
monkeys.

Now studies on humans show that 33 per cent of obese adults had
contracted AD-36 at some point in their lives, compared with only 11
per cent of lean men and women.

Professor Nikhil Dhurandhar, of Pennington Biomedical Research Centre
in Louisiana, US, who led the research, said AD-36 continued to add
weight gain long after those infected had seemingly recovered.

His studies indicated that the virus lingers for up to three months,
during which time it multiplies fat and is contagious to others.

Dr Dhurandhar, who will make the extraordinary claims on BBC2’s
Horizon tonight, said: “We now know that this virus goes to the lungs
and spreads to various organs such as the liver, kidney, brain and fat
tissue.

“When it goes to fat tissue it replicates, making more copies of
itself and in the process increases the number of new fat cells, which
may explain why people get fat when they are infected with this
virus.” The findings were welcomed by some medical experts, although
others sounded a note of caution.

Dr Shahrad Taheri, clinical director for obesity at the Birmingham
Heartlands Hospital, said: “Most people believe obesity is caused by
environmental factors.

“But there is a lot of information about how things like the furring
up of arteries could be linked to infections. It is not beyond reason
to think about various different factors, including infections, adding
into the mix about what causes obesity.”

Tony Barnett, professor of medicine at the University of Birmingham,
said: “These associations may give some clues but they detract from
the basic message that we all need to take more exercise and eat a bit
less.

“This kind of research needs to go on but we have to be cautious.”

Dr Colin Waine, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: “We must
acknowledge it is a contribution to the research but it doesn’t alter
the management of obesity.”

The documentary also reveals research which claims to explain why
those on diets feel permanently hungry, even when overweight.

A US study found that people have a “natural body weight” and respond
to losing a few pounds in the same way as if they were starving.

The findings suggest that overweight people who diet will always
suffer hunger pangs, even if they become lean and healthy.

SOURCE: http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/81810
.

Relevant Pages

  • Virus Might Contribute to Obesity
    ... Virus Might Contribute to Obesity ... animals to gain excessive amounts of fat. ... infections it might cause. ...
    (sci.med.diseases.lyme)
  • New Anti-Obesity Vaccine
    ... developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain. ... These findings may mark a turning point in the treatment of obesity by ... The vaccine slows the rate of weight gain, ... body fat. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Now fat people cause Global Warming..
    ... This latest contribution to the obesity debate comes in an article by ... gasoline costs of added weight. ... "This is like, let's find another reason to scapegoat fat people," Dr. ... Research suggests that the stigma of being fat leads to more eating, ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Its not just calories in, calories out
    ... A new study from Joslin Diabetes Center sheds light on why some people can eat excessive amounts of food and not gain weight or develop type 2 diabetes, while others are more likely to develop obesity and this most common form of diabetes on any diet. ... White fat, the more familiar form of fat that accumulates in the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and under the skin, stores energy for future needs, whereas brown fat or brown adipose tissue burns energy and generates heat. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Its not just calories in, calories out
    ... How A Specific Fat Protects Against Obesity and Diabetes ... Brown fat, on the other hand, contains ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
Quantcast