Can a virus make you fat?

It seems an unlikely idea but research in the USA indicates that there is a link between a virus that causes 'cold' style symptoms and being overweight.

Dr Dhurandhar and his team at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre have now documented more than 1,000 patients whose obesity appears to be linked to infection with the virus.

Dr Dhurandhar's team took blood samples from people at an obesity clinic.

They tested it for antibodies to Adenovirus-36 and found that 20% of the patients had encountered the virus at some point and were significantly heavier than their antibody negative counterparts.

The theory seems to be that the virus causes an increase in the number of fat cells rather than the size of the cells. This has the effect of permanently making the person more likely to gain weight when overeating occurs.

This is not the only cause of being overweight but may be a significant factor in why some people find it more difficult shift excess weight.

The virus is spread by the cold like symptoms it causes, coughs and sneezes. It's not worth trying to avoid larger people as a way of avoiding the virus, as it is infectious for a relatively short length of time.

Does any of this mean that someone with antibodies to Adenovirus-36 can't lose weight?
No.
It simply means that a weight loss program will need to include both sensible eating and exercise.

Follow this link to see the article on the BBC web and the related Horizon program.