A Virus Can Cause Weight Gain?
Actually this is one of those good news/bad news things. I was thumbing through the April 2008 issue of Oprah’s magazine and a question from an anonymous reader, to columnist Dr. David L. Katz, caught my eye.
The reader asked if it’s true that a virus can cause weight gain. The answer? Yes!
Wow. I know they are finding all sorts of links to genes that may cause hair to behave a certain way (grow, fall out, get thicker) but I had no idea that we could gain weight from catching a virus.
According to Katz, “there may be several such viruses” and yes, if you have a doctor who believes in this theory, you can be tested to see if you have antibodies. Which will show that you might have been infected with a virus that causes weight gain.
This information certainly offers the potential to change how current society regards people that are overweight. Years ago people with drug and alcohol issues were looked down on as being weak and unable to deal with their lives because of excessive drinking or drugging.
Times have changed and now both issues are known to be illnesses and are treated as such. A lot of the stigma has lessened regarding people who have been in rehab for drug/alcohol or other related issues that are known to be real illness.
Overweight people are viewed by many in today’s society as weak or lacking in self discipline. If indeed a series of viruses are proven to cause uncontrollable weight gain, then being overweight is an illness, much like alcoholism. Right? Definitely worth serious consideration.
Unfortunately there is no magic pill that can fix the problem. At least not yet and probably not in the immediate future.
How did all this information come to light? According to Dr. Katz, researchers “noticed that chickens, monkeys and other animals started to put on a lot of pounds following an infection with certain types of viruses, notable adenoviruses”.
When the researchers tested humans, they found that nearly a third of obese people have antibodies for a particular adenovirus strain, while only 11 percent of normal weight people do.
The reason there s little hope for magic pills to prevent or reverse the weight gain from the viruses is that the problem is not from an ongoing infection, but from prior infections.
The viruses attack and then are beaten back by the body’s immune system. But not before, in theory, the virus has altered fat cells in a way that increase vulnerability to weight gain. Possibly by triggering fat cells to grow faster.
Some scientists would like to prevent future infections with a vaccine. Unfortunately it is believed we are many years away from being able to have a vaccine that would prevent a virus that is known to increase obesity.
The good news? Society should now take into consideration the fact that overweight can be linked to a virus and thus be considered an illness. The bad news? There are no magic pills to reverse the virus. Therefore, those extra pounds still need to be addressed by eating healthy, exercising and understanding that it is necessary to work a little harder to overcome any unexplained weight gain issues.
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December 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hello! Very interesting article! Many people that gain weight easily can owe it to some hormonal imbalances, which slow down metabolism and if you combine that with a sedentary lifestyle then you are very likely to put on weight. In my opinion people should eat healthy, once people understand the basics it is easy to follow.
I believe that people with weight problems should be helped regardless of it being a problem that occurred through a virus, the reason doesn’t matter. People should always be helped, especially against obesity, the say its the epidemic of the 21st century!
December 25th, 2008 at 12:18 am
This was a very informative article. I find this very interesting because I have never herd of this before where a Virus that can cause people to gain weight. And I agree that the our Society looks at obese people as if they were weak or lazy. But the truth is that those same people are not weak or lazy they just need some help.
I wonder what the Odds are of actually being infected by one of these weight gaining virus. I will surely those some research on this topic as I love learning about health and why people gain weight.
Thanks so much for this article, I enjoyed reading it.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
At first when you said virus, I was thinking virus like a sickness. Then maybe since you’re sick you don’t workout and thus you gain weight. But you meant like a virus – like an actual virus that causes people to gain wait.
That’s quite interesting. I’ve never heard anything about this before. My guess is that a lot of people don’t know about this.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Although there may be a correlation, I don’t agree this is the or a cause for most overweight people. We are always looking for an “excuse” for obesity instead of taking accountability for our overeating and sedentary lifestyles. The US is one of the most obese countries on the planet. If there was a virus associated with weight gain, it would make sense that the other countries would also have the same level of obesity as the US. However, these countries probably do not consume the western diet full of too much meat, refined sugars, and large portion sizes. I would like to see a correlation between people of different countries who consume a western diet, are overweight and have traces of the antibodies for this adenovirus. The correlation would then be the Western diet and lifestyle as it relates to obesity, weakens the immune system therefore triggering this “adenovirus” to further enable the overweight person to retain or gain weight.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I’ve recently been studying obesity in my nutrition class. I’ve learned quite a lot. The main thing I have learned is actually how to lose weight and keep the pounds off. Many people try dieting, but that just doesn’t work because they’ll gain the weight right back.
According to the book I am reading in the class, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat 500 calories less than normal and also walk an hour a day. Also, it’s important to eat healthy and eat consistently.
This is one of the best things that a person trying to lose weight can do. No longer are they cutting carbs, proteins, fats, or vitamins out of their diet. Instead, they’re just cutting calories. Then, they’re shedding the pounds really well by walking.
This routine – if done consistently and correctly can get you to lose up to 8 pounds of fat a month. Any more then that and you’re not losing weight the healthy way.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:04 am
If people would simply kick the junk and begin to eat natural foods everyday along with walking an hour a day, they’d lose weight. Health really isn’t rocket science. People just make it difficult because they’re too lazy to do things the old-fashioned way.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Some good information here. I didn’t know about a lot of the things here. I liked the comment above me. I didn’t know weight gain had anything to do with hormonal imbalance. I guess that so many different things contribute to weight gain that it’s really hard for some people to narrow down the actual cause.
March 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Hey, i was seeing a leng in squidoo, then take me to another link that leave me here, it is a great post dude, thanks !
April 1st, 2009 at 3:45 pm
this is a bit far fetched I believe it could a virus to help gain weight but if you exercise everyday and eat healthy you will not have to deal with obesity
May 1st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I admire the time and effort you put into your blog. I wish I had the same drive
May 4th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I actually never knew this. I only knew about how some people’s bodies are genetically deferent then other’s so your body weight is written in your genes. Thats why some people can never lose weight while other’s have it hard gaining weight.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:01 am
If I want to gain my weight,can I use virus. Maybe the virus to gain weight pills will appear in the hospital in future.
Thank you very much
May 31st, 2009 at 6:26 am
Can’t wait to have a look at what you will be writing about next!
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April 25th, 2010 at 10:03 am
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May 1st, 2010 at 8:27 am
I recently lost over 60lbs and went from size 42 waist to a 34. Exercise was a huge factor, but I would have to say what we eat and when is a more crucial factor. I try to eat 5-6 smaller protein-rich meals with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, I eat my biggest meal of the day in the morning and taper off with subsequent ones throughout the day. This helps get the metabolism going and keeps the appetite under control. Obese people often eat less than I do, except they skip breakfast, chug sugary sodas all day, snack on greasy carb-laden junk food and then gorge before dinner and up until bedtime. By doing that, you are essentially telling your body to store fats and metabolize foods at a slower rate.
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