OBESITY CAUSED BY VIRAL INFECTIONS
The CDC says 70 million obese people in U.S. today!
It has occurred to me and other physicians that the current epidemic of obesity that is covering the planet is not a result of greedy humans who cannot control themselves, but, perhaps, of a viral infection their brains.
There are several centers in the brain which cause the human, or other animal, to eat. If these centers were infected with a virus, they might stimulate abnormal eating patterns. Also, the fat cells, or adipocytes, release hormones that stimulate eating. If these cells were infected with a virus, they too, could cause over-eating.
As usual, my thoughts or anyone’s thoughts, are not unique on this planet.
Here is a report from a group of medical scientists studying the viral causes of obesity:
From the Obetech Obesity Research Center, Richmond, VA
Individual reprints of this article are not available. Address correspondence to Richard L. Atkinson, MD, Director, Obetech Obesity Research Center, 800 E Leigh St, Suite 50, Richmond, VA 23219 (ratkinson2@vcu.edu).
Abstract
Obesity is a serious chronic disease that has numerous etiologies. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically since about 1980 in the United States and worldwide in both developed and developing countries.
This rapid spread is compatible with an infectious origin.
This review discusses the 5 animal viruses and 3 human viruses that have been shown to cause obesity and examines the evidence to date for virus-induced obesity.
The obesogenic animal viruses include canine distemper virus, Rous-associated virus type 7, Borna disease virus, scrapie agent and SMAM-1.
The first 4 viruses attack the central nervous system to produce obesity.
SMAM-1, an avian adenovirus from India, acts directly on adipocytes and is the only animal virus that is associated with human obesity.
The 3 human adenoviruses, adenovirus (Ad) 36, Ad-37, and Ad-5, that are associated with obesity also affect adipocytes directly. These viruses stimulate enzymes and transcription factors that cause accumulation of triglycerides and differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes.
Ad-5 and Ad-37 have been shown to cause obesity in animals.
Ad-36 has been studied the most and is the only human adenovirus to date that has been linked with human obesity.
Ad-36 causes obesity in chickens, mice, rats, and monkeys and was present in 30% of obese humans and 11% of nonobese humans. In twins discordant for infection with Ad-36, the infected twins were heavier and fatter than their cotwins.
The growing body of evidence demonstrating that viruses produce human obesity supports the concept that at least some of the worldwide epidemic of obesity in the past 25 years is due to viral infections.
We can see that viruses play a role in a large number of obese humans.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
We know, also, that viruses are the cause of many human cancers. Yet, we have very little in the way of medications that will selectively kill viruses. What we can do, is improve our immune system.
It is well established that if that army of billions of cells in our immune system is stimulated, they will defend our body against viruses and other micro-organisms.
I have written articles on the use of Vitamins D and K, and the use of Medicinal Mushrooms from China for stimulation of the Immune System. If you are obese, and feel that a virus is the cause, you should read these articles.
Also, whether viral or not, obesity is controlled by the formula:
CALORIES IN – CALORIES OUT.
(Eat less and exercise more.)
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