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Common Cold Virus Linked to Childhood Obesity in New Study

Posted: Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Scientists are continuing to find connections between viruses and more serious diseases: a recent study suggests a link between childhood obesity and a virus that causes the common cold.

Childhood obesity may very well be an infectious disease spread by a common cold virus. This is the finding of a recent study that was published in the journal, Pediatrics. According to the study, Adenovirus-36, as it is known in the scientific community, is directly associated with obese children. The association is found in antibodies produced by the previously-infected children. These antibodies -- in association with previous animal studies that have looked at the impact of Adenovirus-36 on adult stem cells to produce more fat cells, that also happen to produce more fat -- draw the link between the obesity epidemic and this particular virus.

A virus that can increase the production of certain cells offers certain insights on the dangers of viral infections -- particularly when considering the spread of cancer and other chronic diseases. Numerous studies have linked viral infections to chronic-fatigue syndrome, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, skin cancer, mouth cancer, and even autism and schizophrenia.

The associations between common viruses and the later onset of serious disease presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the scientific community. The challenge is in understanding the basic underpinnings of viruses in general - and the opportunity is in creating vaccinations that can quite effectively remove these chronic diseases from the broader ecology.

Since obesity is seen as an epidemic on its own accord - with the World Health Organization estimating that there are more than 1 billion overweight adults worldwide -- the association with a common cold virus should certainly help in the drive toward a vaccination or toward a more permanent solution.

Source: http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9845&catid=53&Itemid=8, Pediatrics, Sept. 2010