Childhood Viral Infection May Be a Cause of Obesity

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100920074011.htm


ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2010) — The emerging idea that obesity may have an infectious origin gets new support in a cross-sectional study by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers who found that children exposed to a particular strain of adenovirus were significantly more likely to be obese.

gullible noobs

That involves personal responsibility.

just because someone is obese, it doesn't mean that they eat junk and sit on the couch. Some people actually eat very healthily and exercise a lot, and still have weight issues. Metabolic syndrome ring a bell? There are can be other factors as well. This virus may be one of them for some people.

fat people are ALL fat because they constantly overeat junk food and never exercise!!!!

(oh, except maybe the 1% who do have "legitimate" medical reasons)

we know this because there are pictures of "underfed" people who are skin and bones. the fact that they were starved for weeks/months and probably had dysentery and diarrhea, well that doesn't matter!!!!

AND the fact that some APPEAR underfed but don't exercise and do eat crap food, well, that just doesn't matter!

:sarcasm: for the impaired

Or, as I pointed out the first time somebody posted this link, obesity rates are the highest in countries with the most telephone poles. Do you suppose telephone poles cause obesity?

No, it's junk food and video games that's causing obesity. When will these people take responsibility for their own bad lifestyle choices?

adult metabolic syndrome... or a slew of other possible causes.

Yep... it is JUST diet, never mind all the fucking research.

Oh and that research is also pointing to the crap we put in food.

But if it makes you feel better... be a puritan.

Its pretty clear to me, just a 'street' observer, that something 'unusual' is going on.

something really unusual.

Hell, autoimmune diseases such as celiacs, Crohns, Lupus and thyroid (and diabetes type II) are also on the way up. Yep, it is partly better diagnosis... but there is more to this.

in countries that eat the typical Western diet. Not so in places where they eat more sensibly.

and we are all imagining this.

:rolleyes:

The obesity epidemic has not been limited to countries with a "Western diet", nor ones with fast food, nor to those watching fashion models, nor to any of the other easy targets. (I believe, based on the research, that a number of these other "causes" are also contributing to the obesity problem.)

But unlike the use of HFCS or soy protein in our diets, or the impact of advertising overcoming a lack of "will power" among those lacking self control, or whatever other claim is being made, the affects of the adenovirus on weight has been clearly proven in controlled experiments involving lab animals. Infected animals gain nearly twice as much weight as the uninfected control group fed the same rations!

Since one is not allowed to infect humans with the virus, you can not do a similar study on people. But now that we have a blood test for the antibodies to AD-36, studies around the world are confirming that almost one third of those classified as morbidly obese show antibodies to AD-36 infection, nearly 5-10 times the rate found among people of "normal" weight. Higher rates have been found among those who are most obese and among those who had experienced sudden onset weight gain.

Recent basic research is unraveling how the virus disrupts the bodies control mechanisms related to lipids, fat retention, and much more. All of this research supports the theory that AD-36, a seemingly harmless respriatory infection, a bit like "pink eye", which jumped from birds to mammals around 1978, is responsible for much of the jump in obesity worldwide. The "obesity epidemic" is a real epidemic. A vaccine is bging developed and tested, as are treatments based on counter-acting the disruptions caused by the virus.

The moralists, the junk science, the diet and exercise industries, the talk shows, and the true believers of other "causes" and other "solutions" have minimized the impact of research on AD-36 for almost 20 years now, but it is finally becoming accepted by the greater community and was prominent at various conferences on obesity this year. I remember so many examples where others have blamed the actions of the victims or their parents as having caused their illnesses: AIDS, gastric ulcers, autism, and now obesity.

Why must it take 15-20 years before science, research, advocacy, etc. can overcome greed, hate, prejudice, and the status quo?

10 to 20 pounds in a month, this year i gained 12 pounds over seven weeks in the usa and then lost all of them in 4 weeks back in France. I worked out every day in the states and here only 3 or 4 days a week and I was only eating 3 meals a day in the states. I have noticed this pattern again and again.

or you are lying about your personal experience!

:sarcasm:

that in so many respects that our bodies are different: allergies or not, tall/short, eye color, hair color, whether you get genetic diseases, or athletic abilities, or musical talent, intelligence ... ALL these things and scores of others are different about our bodies as individuals.

yet when it comes to weight and metabolism, NOPE, ONE SIZE FITS ALL, it's calories in/calories out and if you are still fat then you are just a lazy lying slob.

support the contention that obesity is caused by three things. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"Adult metabolic syndrome" is a way of saying "my fucked up diet ruined my metabolism". As for research, Read "The China Study" ("The Grand Prix of epidemiology") and tell me why this mysterious "Adult metabolic syndrome" NEVER occurs among the billions of rural Chinese. Hmmm. Could it be diet? That's what the research found. But if you feel better blaming problems on something beyond your control... be a victim.

But when I do it's for posts like that.

absolutely... and insulin resistance is also my fucking imagination.

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10 hail marys, do charity work, fulfill your community service obligations and drive inside the lines... perhaps you will then be able to be less offensive to those around you.

and then instantly start posting pseudoscience, if you don't want to get heat about it.

has spoken. You are rude in the extreme.

someone who is dealing with it.






http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=1023&query=syndrome%20x&hiword=SYNDROM%20SYNDROMEA%20SYNDROMEAN%20SYNDROMEIN%20SYNDROMEIS%20SYNDROMES%20SYNDROMS%20syndrome%20x%20
Dropping dead from a heart attack, being crippled by a catastrophic stroke, having limbs amputated as a result of peripheral vascular disease—these are among the frightening consequences of vascular disease, the number-one killer of Americans.

Metabolic syndrome and its associated condition of insulin resistance pose a major threat to cardiovascular health that most health care practitioners do not even discuss with their patients. Remarkably, the public knows very little about this silent but deadly condition, and many affected individuals are not even aware that metabolic syndrome is inflicting severe damage to their arteries and brain cells.

The news media and health care providers pay almost no attention to the epidemic of insulin resistance, the fundamental cause of metabolic syndrome.

To avoid the potentially disastrous cardiovascular consequences of metabolic syndrome, you need to understand:

What metabolic syndrome is and how to determine whether you meet its diagnostic criteria (a tape measure, a blood pressure cuff, and some simple blood tests are all you need).
How to identify the risk of insulin resistance through simple blood tests.
Why body weight is not very important for metabolic health, but body composition is critical.
How a simple but very effective program—and not the latest fad diet—can dramatically reduce your risk for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Which nutritional supplements can help reduce your risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. (These include two promising supplements derived from water-soluble extracts of cinnamon and coffee—one of which targets the same hormone that multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical companies tout as key to the next breakthrough therapy for metabolic disease.)

Is a low carb diet. Reducing the sugars in my diet reduces the need for insulin.

If I eat carbohydrates I get fat, my blood pressure shoots up, my triglycerides skyrocket and my blood sugars elevate into the pre-diabetic range.

I don't consider my diet a fad, it's insurance against Type II diabetes.

suggestions?

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/jul2006_report_metabolic_03.htm
Bioflavonoids. Inflammation is an important factor in the development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.27,28 Bioflavo-noids like quercetin, resveratrol, and olive polyphenols have natural anti-inflammatory properties and may offer protection against metabolic syndrome.

Quercetin, a potent bioflavonoid found in vegetables, inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines (proteins involved in immunity and inflammation).29 Resveratrol, found in the skin of red fruits like grapes, has been shown to inhibit the expression of genes involved in inflammation better than the potent prescription corticosteroid dexamethasone.30

Along with neptune krill for inflammation and Vit D.

My metabolism can't handle carbohydrates. It's not just me, it's every member of my family as well. Genetically, we just weren't meant to eat a carb heavy diet.

Yes, I am actually up to date. I have been using cinnamon for a while,

Add to this weight lifting, which increases muscle mass and also increases the ability of the cells to use glucose and insulin.

The problem we have, as my health care provider puts it, is the incredible resistance from most patients to actually do something that does not involve a pill... or do silly shit like count carbs at meal time.

:-)

Heck, I know what I need to do and do it, but I really get annoyed by all these people who go eat less, exercise more... it goes beyond just diet...

My doctor and I actually share research.

But you knew that. You also probably know that things like Chrons and Celiacs are also going up in places that DO NOT follow a western diet... what can I say I follow this not just out of self interest, but also because something is going on with all the things we are doing to food and the land.

there that will help you a bit.

www.glucotize.com

Please note this stuff can be found for considerably less than what you will see there.

SOME of the doctors are wrong, but not all of them.
Read the chapter on Diabetes in "The China Study" and see what MANY doctors, who I think are right, have to say in their clinical research with diet and diabetes. A typical example is the study done by Dr. James Anderson MD<1>, one of the most prominent researchers into diet and diabetes. Using dietary means alone he treated 50 patients in one in-hospital study. The Type I diabetics were able to reduce their medication by 40% after three weeks on a special diet, and the type II diabetics, 100%$ of them, were able to discontinue insulin completely, and remained able to do so for years afterward as long as they stayed on their diet.

So no, I'm not saying the doctors are wrong.

<1> Anderson, J.W., Gustafsen, N.J., Bryant, C.A. et. al. "Dietary Fiber and diabetes: a comprehensive review and practical application" J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 87; 1189-1197.

see also:

Jenkins, DJA, Wolever, TMS, Bacon, S, et. al. "Diabetic diets: high carbohydrate combined with high fiber" Am. J. Clin. Nutri. 33 1729-1733

I can give about 250 more references to clinical studies supporting what I'm saying.

whatever...

The china study supports the recommendations of the ADA, but whatever.

I do not blame victims because there is something going on... and there are lines of research into this.

By the way, food deserts are also real, but whatever.

A diet low in phenylalanine doesn't cure PKU either--it just limits the damage that your genes would otherwise cause.

IIRC.

Then again, they're thin. It must be okay.

Is a group of conditions tied to insulin resistance.

Though you seem to be incorrectly implying the association goes the other way.

There are other factors, but these are the most influential and most easily addressed.

This combined with the fat gene...it all makes sense :P

believe that telephone poles cause low grade inflammation. On the other hand, I do not believe that telephone poles cause people to be skinny.


http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/12/4569

Low-Grade Inflammation, Obesity, and Insulin Resistance in Adolescents

Christian Herder, Sophie Schneitler, Wolfgang Rathmann, Burkhard Haastert, Heiko Schneitler, Horst Winkler, Renate Bredahl, Erik Hahnloser and Stephan Martin
Institute for Clinical Diabetes Research (C.H., S.S., S.M.) and Institute of Biometrics and Epidemiology (W.R., B.H.), German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Institute at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; and Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office) (H.S., H.W., R.B., E.H.), 40227 Düsseldorf, Germany

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Christian Herder, Institute for Clinical Diabetes Research, German Diabetes Center, Auf’m Hennekamp, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. E-mail: christian.herder@ddz.uni-duesseldorf.de.

Context: Low-grade inflammation is associated with insulin resistance and precedes the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, but there are no comparable data in youth.

Objective: The objective of the study was to characterize the pattern of subclinical immune activation that is associated with indices of obesity and insulin resistance in youth and analyze whether this association is explained by obesity.

>>Conclusions: We found that a differential low-grade immune activation is associated with parameters of obesity in adolescents. Moreover, there is evidence that IL-6, IL-18, IP-10, and adiponectin (inversely) are associated with insulin resistance and that these associations can mainly be attributed to obesity.<<

daily. They are shunned, ostracized, discriminated against and bullied every fucking day of their lives.

Do you take responsibility for your "bad lifestyle choices"? What will you do or say to those you demonize and shame when the research turns up even more links between environmental poisons and obesity, for instance?

If someone is fat and they are happy with it why should the rest of us care? If someone is fat due to a medical condition society should pay for treatment as they should for all medical conditions. If somone is fat and is bitching about it the first step would be to change diet and increase exercise, if that doesnt work then they should go to the doctor. Do overweight people really get shunned or discriminated against in the USA where 2 thirds of people are overweight or obese???? really fat people are in the majority who is discriminating against them???

i was told as much to my face when i went to a job interview that i might be too fat to work in the kitchen of the restaurant i applied at. two weeks later i interviewed some place else. i gave a great interview, had three GLOWING references from former employers, was told post-interview that i excelled in the area they were looking for... and never heard back from them... now, i can't assume that it was due to my appearance, but i wonder, in the face of all the evidence that i was a perfect fit for the job, why was i not hired. i plan on going to that business soon to see who did get hired and if i see all proto-typical barbies and kens working there, i'll be pissed.

Either way, I would bet money that they eventually figure out this is related to the shit they give animals in factory farms.

causality cannot be established by statistics; only correlation.

Because they ingest at higher rates thus or because they eat at risk food at higher rates, or simply they eat more often. Although it doesn't sound from the limit information in the article that this is likely based on the limited data. You can think of a lot of things to say about this but with so little info is it worth it?

I'm just saying the title of the thread is a little stronger than the actual information in the article.

It was an interesting article. I have read articles about the AD-36 virus before, but the ones I read didn't show nearly as strong a connection. However the other articles I've read have been about antibodies in adults, not in children. So maybe children are affected differently than adults.

I assume medical science is only a decade or so away from understanding the biochemistry of obesity enough to come up with effective cures. Right now the only treatments are major surgery or polypharmacy (taking 4+ drugs at once) and even those are hit or miss.

>>Nutrient deficiency is a well-known cause of immune system malfunction. It has recently been demonstrated in an animal species is that nutrient deficiency in one generation can affect immune function in succeeding generations, even if they're not nutrient deficient. In that experiment pregnant mice were given a zinc-deficient diet. Their offspring had defective immune function, even though they and their mothers were fed a zinc-adequate diet as soon as they were born. Second and third generations of mice also had defective immune system function (although less severe), all while maintaining a zinc-adequate diet. "This study", the researchers said, "has important implications for public health and human welfare, as the consequences of fetal impoverishment may persist despite generations of nutritional supplementation. Dietary supplementation beyond the levels considered adequate might allow for more rapid or complete restoration of immunocompetence".<<


Then add this:
http://naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com/ce/ceCourse.aspx?pc=08-40&cec=0&pm=5&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Drug Influences on Nutrient Levels and Depletion
Some medications can affect the levels of certain nutrients in the body. There is considerable interest in using nutritional supplements to counteract these possible drug-induced "nutrient depletions." The chart below shows the current scientific understanding of these relationships, and suggested actions.

And realize we are one of the most overmedicated nations in the world and perhaps the increase in immune based illness won't be so mysterious, or not.

The AD-36 virus is a factor, but it isn't the only factor in obesity


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,482788,00.html

In one test, a third of obese people had the rare and highly contagious virus compared to just 11 percent of thinner people. Weight gain can last three months until the body has built up resistance to the bug.




So 2/3 of obese people didn't have the virus, but 11% of thinner people did. So it plays a role but just part of the role of why we are so fat. My opinion is that if science understood how obesity works, it would also know how to cure it. So far medical science really doesn't (although that is changing every month).

Leptin was discovered in 1994. Ghrelin in 1999. They are important hormones in weight regulation and a new study shows play a role in weight maintenance after a diet.

http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Modern+Medicine+Now/Leptin-Ghrelin-May-Play-a-Part-in-Weight-Regain/ArticleNewsFeed/Article/detail/687524?contextCategoryId=40153

But they weren't even discovered until the 90s. Who knows what else goes into body weight regulation that we haven't discovered or understood the interplay of.

As far as medications, a large number of kids (possibly the majority) aren't on any. And as far as their parents I doubt they are on more than a handful.

But nutritional deficiency can increase obesity rates.

Vitamin D

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php

Calcium

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142198.php

omega 3

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/More-support-for-omega-3-and-weight-management

vitamin C

http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/20020315015621_health_news.shtml



The B vitamins are necessary for the synthesis of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline which all affect bodyweight, so I'm sure they are important too. My point is that nutritional deficiencies probably do contribute to obesity, but I don't know how much and I wouldn't know how much is due to the negative consequences of taking prescription medications.

the cost benefit analysis is not there, YET.

We are getting close to understanding a lot of this... and at least to me it is awe inspiring how complex the human body actually is.

Sid

there is yet another excuse.

Unfortunately, hard to wear a surgical mask while eating your third plate of ribs.

:shrug:

The more you eat & drink, the more of the virus that you pick up
and the fatter you get.

:shrug:

This seems to be the more reasonable explanation, given the data that we have over time. For instance, forty years ago, when I was a kid, all kids played outside a lot, rode bikes, ran around, played pickup games of baseball, basketball, etc. If there was some mysterious fat virus, wouldn't we have seen evidence of it then? Wouldn't the number of childhood obesity cases have been alarmingly large back in the day? Instead, childhood obesity was relatively rare. Now, with kids playing Xbox and what have you, with our playgrounds and parks relegated to ghost town status, childhood obesity has shot through the roof. But it has to be due to a virus, right? Can't be due to the fact that kids are no longer physically active, nah, can't be.

...consumption of extra calories still has something to do with it.

There are so many factors that could confound this study that I don't even know where to start right now. But even if it is true that a virus makes one more susceptible to pack on the pounds, that still doesn't excuse parents from taking responsibility for their children's health by providing diets and activities that keep them at a healthy weight.

dramatic rise in obesity among children and adolescents in the last 40-50 years? As phobic as many have become about protecting their offspring from bacteria and viruses, I find it hard to believe that children are being infected at a higher rate now than in the past.

These tables and figures show a steady increase in childhood obesity over the years.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity_child_07_08/obesity_child_07_08.htm#figure1

Also I am currently sitting at my cushy desk job and will go on later to sit in my car, go out for Chinese food for dinner, and then go home and sit on the couch.

Gosh, I wonder where those extra pounds came from?

just curious, as i see a lot of non-fat people with eating and exercise habits that are much shittier than mine ... hmmm, how can that be?

i used to work with a chain-smoker who was "normal" weight, and she'd eat chips and drink pop for her lunch, didn't exercise, drank a lot of alcohol, smoked pot, did cocaine ... wonder what her secret was?

She is tiny. She eats crap ALL DAY LONG. By crap, I mean chips, crackers, chocolate, fast food for two of her three meals a day, you name it. She never exercises and drinks every night.

So, I guess she's fat because - wait....

That is why this particular viral infection only began appearing in the 1980's. Also, if you look at the CDC obesity data by county over time you will see that obesity rates spread up from the Gulf coast following a pattern consistent with an insect-assisted disease would. Think about something like "pink eye" which is spread by contact with those infected, aided by gnats.

Several other likely contributors to weight gain include the introduction of HFCS and of large amounts of soy protein in our everyday diets also happened about the same time.

Maybe middle aged men who drink beer all the time and have large beer bellies aren't to blame for their obesity. They just caught a virus. :eyes:

Apparently the virus makes fat cells multiply rapidly--far faster than they would in someone who doesn't have it. That lends some pretty strong credence to the idea that the virus does indeed contribute to obesity rather than the other way around.

This doesn't make any sense. Body mass is energy conversion. Intake is the most important factor here.

Does this virus allow the human body to literally defy the laws of thermodynamics? If so, color me astounded.

so i guess you must be astounded, or confused.

while heavily discounting the involvement of food and activity.

Caloric intake + physical exercise are the foundations of body mass.

Is this illness making people who eat moderate to high protein diets with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats and drink at least a liter of water a day fat?

I highly doubt it. Even a poor metabolism can be overcome. Put down the chips/burgers/pasta/cookies/whatever junk you prefer and sodas down and eat a salad. Seriously.

Obviously there are people with more disadvantages than others when it comes to body weight - but those differences become negligible when people eat what they should instead of what they want.

A discussion of why crap food is more affordable than healthy food and therefore disproportionately causes obesity in low income people is much more useful than blaming fat on a disease instead of on what we eat.

Even an illness that damages one's metabolism doesn't make fat out of the appropriate amount of food.

> Obviously there are people with more disadvantages than others when it comes
> to body weight - but those differences become negligible when people eat what
> they should instead of what they want.

Taking a contrary position on the above, there will always be a small percentage
of the population that have such metabolism issues that the above does not apply.
However the important word in the above sentence is "small".

The problem is that the existence of such people (and the existence of such a
virus as suggested in the OP) is perceived by so many to provide a "get out free"
card that magically absolves them of any responsibility to control their own
consumption of calories.

To be fair, most of the people who fall into the latter category (the "it's not
my fault munch munch" ones) are intellectually incapable of understanding the
references to the "laws of thermodynamics" arguments thrown at them. Many of them
have also been brought up to think that things like "salad" are effete (or even
effeminate) excuses for "real food" and so they consider their "right" to chow
down on a megamunch blubberburger to be infringed by the mere suggestion that
such a diet is downright unhealthy.

For those people, the sooner that Darwin steps in, the better.
:shrug:

this post right above is a prime example of why liberals are thought to be arrogant elitists.

but par for the course.

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my son eats and do the activities he does every single day. He eats healthier than ANY kid I know and the vast majority of adults. He exercises EVERY DAY. He drinks WATER.

I tell you what, I just started keeping another food diary yesterday - we do this about once a year for a week or so - for the nutritionist to review - next week I'll post his "diet" for you.

Here are the nutritionist "tweaks" to his diet for the past two years:

- go to regular fat mayo and cheeses and other foods. No more "low fat".

- Eliminate all juice (fruit juice - no sweeteners added of any kind was what he would have). (No just fruit smoothies - she'd rather he have the milkshake! - Very rare, btw)

- Limit fruit to no more than 2x a day. No more than one serving at a time and ALWAYS pair with a fat, a carb, or a protein.

- Eat TWO SNACKS between meals per day. Make it a combination of at least two of the four food groups.

- Limit milk consumption. He almost never drinks milk now. And we use rice milk on his cereal.

- BIGGER BREAKFAST - always include something "extra" in the protein/fat department. No more "just cereal" or "bagel and (soy) cream cheese" - must add (soy) bacon, (soy) sausage, Peanut butter on toast or bagel (Bagel is whole wheat. Bread is whole grain.)



We're vegetarians. He grew up on a "low-fat diet" due to his older brother's genetic high cholesterol condition - so the whole house was low-fat. That changed about two years ago.

It mimics the leptins, etc. and results in the cells retaining more fats than they would otherwise.

Lab animals infected with AD-36 gain nearly twice the weight as the otherwise identical control group when fed the same rations. Same food + AD-36 equals obesity!

I think the cause is multi-factorial.
When I began nursing 25 years ago,obesity was much less common-although it was still there.
Schools were forced to cut down on activity for the kids.
parents had to work 2 jobs,keeping the kids in the house more,using food as a comfort measure more.
Fast food took off,big-time(used to be we would go to the restaurant maybe once a month)
Ingrediants in foods changed..preservatives and who knows what else.
I'm sure these contributed to immune disorders that have yet to be diagnosed,as i have also seen a much larger population of patients with asthma,respiratory illness,multiple infections,sinus infections etc.
i try to keep it healthy at home,and my kid is in martial arts and football...but the truth is,there is still a lot of crap he eats.
I'm sure there are more reasons,but identifying one that could be helped is a start.

It started around the Gulf of Mexico both here and in Central America and spread outward from there. Epidemiologists have remarked about that pattern for many years.

You bet it's a multi faceted disease. Pretending there's a magic cure when the causes are so poorly understood is a huge mistake too many people are making. 90+% of people who get down to an ideal weight through surgery or semi starvation rebound to their pre diet weight within 5 years, even if they've attempted to retain the healthy eating and exercise habits. With a failure rate like that, it's clear something else has been at work.

In any case, prejudice and shaming haven't worked any better than diet and exercise have. Nobody wants to be fat. Nobody would stay fat if they had a choice. Right now, they really don't.