Infection of the Human Adenovirus-36 May Contribute to Obesity

Filed in archive Investigational , Studies on August 21, 2007

Obesity contributes a lot to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes - two of the conditions that have become an epidemic that is sweeping the western world and the rest of the human race.

But from the patient's point of view, it is easier to blame obesity to genetics than lifestyle.

However, pointing some virus infection as a contributing factor to obesity is something else.

But that is exactly what some experts suggest:

In laboratory experiments they showed that infection with human adenovirus-36 (Ad-36), long recognized as a cause of respiratory and eye infections in humans, transforms adult stem cells obtained from fat tissue into fat cells. Stem cells not exposed to the virus, in contrast, were unchanged.

As explained by study presenter Magdalena Pasarica, M.D., Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in her presentation at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society:

"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.

Not all infected people will develop obesity. 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."

Are we supposed to be relieved to find out that some obesity cases are brought about by viral infection? Maybe to some yes. Anyway, a viral infection makes obesity sound more like a disease. But I am still convinced that genetics and one's lifestyle choice has lot to do with obesity.

Find more details from Science Daily.

[In Photo: Transmission electron micrograph of an adenovirus by CDC/Dr. G. William Gary, Jr.]