Is Obesity A Problem Because of Viruses?
It turns out that obesity may not have anything to do with food at all, but it may have everything to do with a virus. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic are discovering that a virus could be the reason why many Americans are obese.
Although most people would agree that the way to keep obesity away is to eat healthy and exercise, this may only be part of the truth to getting in shape. There seem to be other factors that the Mayo Clinic is observing and this idea of a virus is one of them.
Richard Atkinson, M.D., at the Mayo Clinic has been studying research articles on obesity and he is finding there is a correlation between 3 human viruses and 5 animal viruses and obesity.
What They Found
The results of two of these viruses in studies were interesting and worth considering:
AD-36 — they found that by giving this human virus to animals it increased body fat and visceral fat also known as belly fat. They also found that this virus could be transmitted from an infected animal to a non-infected one. Atkinson did a study to look for this virus in 502 patients with varying weights. He found AD-36 antibodies in 30% of the obese patients and 11% of the lean ones; he also found large differences in their BMIs.
SMAM-1 — this was a virus that was found in chickens many years ago, in India. It was responsible for a large percentage of death in these chickens. A study that tested 52 obese people found that about 20% had been infected with this virus because they contained antibodies from it. The people who had been exposed were heavier and had a higher BMI than those who did not have the antibodies.
What They Can Do
At this time there is nothing to do except to continue to watch the virus. Atkinson thinks that there could be a virus vaccine developed to help, but this will take several years. We think this could be an interesting situation if people find out that they are severely obese because of a virus they carry.
This could be a medical breakthrough that is well worth waiting for because Americans are always looking for answers. If it were true that people who are severely obese could be victims of this virus running wild, a vaccine could be an alternative to surgery. It could also explain why an individual’s weight can seem so out of control.
This could answer the question of why some families are prone to weight gain and others are not. Perhaps this is something that happens in utero or it could be something that comes about because of the lack of whole foods that people eat; only time will tell.
Although there never is any substitute for good nutrition and exercise it could be something that if caught ahead of time, could change the course of a person’s life. We think this research should continue, to see what happens.
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