Could obesity be caused-at least in some cases-by the common cold? The idea, strange as it sounds, has been gaining momentum among scientists, and a recent study of children offers tantalizing new evidence, says ScienceNews.org. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego tested the blood of 67 obese and 57 normal-weight kids, ages 8-18, for the presence of antibodies against a common virus called adenovirus-36, which causes respiratory and intestinal distress. Of the kids in which antibodies were found, a remarkable 80% were obese, weighing on average 50lbs more than the kids not exposed to the virus. Earlier studies have found some evidence that adenovirus may play a role in at least some forms of obesity in adults and animals, but this is the first to examine childhood obesity. "The data add credence to the concept that an infection can be a cause or contributor to obesity," says pediatrician and study leader Jeffrey Schwimmer.
Researchers speculate that the virus may cause fat-storing cells to mature and multiply faster, or hinder the cells' ability to break down fat, causing them to grow larger. Nikhi Dhuranhar, a longtime researcher of "infectobesity," says that if some forms of extreme weight gain are caused by infection, "then there is a potential to have a vaccine to prevent this type of obesity."
