A Virus Link to Childhood Obesity

Research from the University of California has found that obese children with antibodies specific to a certain respiratory virus weighed 35lbs (15.8kg) more than those without. A link between the AD36 virus (adenovirus 36) and obesity in human adults has also been written about previously. But how AD36 infects people and why it affects people differently is still not known. The study looked at 124 children aged 8 to 18, with half of the children considered obese based on their Body Mass Index. The researchers found the AD36 antibodies in 19 of the children, 15 of whom were in the obese group. Within the group of obese children studied, those with evidence of AD36 infection weighed an average of 35lbs more than obese children who were AD36-negative. The study does not show causation, but an association, and ignites the debate on the factors that can create obesity.