We interrupt the discussions of the sequence of numbers on our Top 10 list of culprits of childhood obesity to Number 10 -- many times things are not crystal clear and more often than not, medicine is that way. Other contributors to obesity that have been implied have included an obesity virus and obesity genes that could explain some people's predisposition to gaining weight while others' good fortune to not have this battle to fight.
A superb article addressing the reasons behind "Why we get fat" was published by Discover magazine in 1999*, actually, but the information is still valid today, 10 years later. It is not a quick read and it may be a little bit tedious but it is very well presented and worth the effort. When you are finished reading it, you will have a much clearer view of medicine's involvement in the attempts to understand obesity as it pertains to genes, viruses, and the like.
And in August of 2007 CBS4 news presented information on the "Fat Virus" named AD-36 as a potential cause or contributor to human obesity and the epidemic that we are seeing today. Reportedly, the research done to date has shown that when rats were injected with with this contagious virus, this caused the rats to gain weight. Fat cells seemed to increase both SIZE and NUMBER. CBS4 continued to report that according to another study, 1 out of 3 obese patients tested positive for this virus and all affected are overweight and significantly heavier than those testing negative for this virus.
Finally, in January of 2009, an article presented in FOX News entitled "Obesity 'Virus' Spreads Like Common Cold, Researchers Say" provides more up-to-date information. The way the virus seems to work at this point in time is that you inhale it, so it enters the lungs, enters the bloodstream and ends up in the fat cells. Its effects while in these fat cells causes them to multiply and increase in number (which verifies the prior article). So, miserably enough, not only do you get a sore throat, but you gain weight. An interesting point, however, that is mentioned is that it is temporary weight gain. While the body gains immunity and combats it by building resistance to it... a process that lasts about 3 months **.
The most important, take home, message, however, is that no matter the cause, for most people, you CAN treat it, you CAN do something about it and whether or not you have been exposed to the virus or not, it remains the same... a healthy diet and active lifestyle -- that we are all in need of anyway.
As you will see, and as we have discussed, obesity (child or adult) is not an easy topic to tackle nor is it straightforward in finding a solution. However, the more education we have about it, the more we read and inform ourselves, the more we discuss, and the more positive actions take place, the faster we will get to that end of bring this disease under control.
* Article by Shawna Vogel, April 1999 issue, Discoverymagazine.com
** The Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Picture by macromagnon, PhotoXpress
We interrupt the discussions of the sequence of numbers on our Top 10 list of culprits of childhood obesity to Number 10 -- many times things are not crystal clear and more often than not, medicine is that way. Other contributors to obesity that have been implied have included an obesity virus and obesity genes that could explain some people's predisposition to gaining weight while others' good fortune to not have this battle to fight.
A superb article addressing the reasons behind "Why we get fat" was published by Discover magazine in 1999*, actually, but the information is still valid today, 10 years later. It is not a quick read and it may be a little bit tedious but it is very well presented and worth the effort. When you are finished reading it, you will have a much clearer view of medicine's involvement in the attempts to understand obesity as it pertains to genes, viruses, and the like.
And in August of 2007 CBS4 news presented information on the "Fat Virus" named AD-36 as a potential cause or contributor to human obesity and the epidemic that we are seeing today. Reportedly, the research done to date has shown that when rats were injected with with this contagious virus, this caused the rats to gain weight. Fat cells seemed to increase both SIZE and NUMBER. CBS4 continued to report that according to another study, 1 out of 3 obese patients tested positive for this virus and all affected are overweight and significantly heavier than those testing negative for this virus.
Finally, in January of 2009, an article presented in FOX News entitled "Obesity 'Virus' Spreads Like Common Cold, Researchers Say" provides more up-to-date information. The way the virus seems to work at this point in time is that you inhale it, so it enters the lungs, enters the bloodstream and ends up in the fat cells. Its effects while in these fat cells causes them to multiply and increase in number (which verifies the prior article). So, miserably enough, not only do you get a sore throat, but you gain weight. An interesting point, however, that is mentioned is that it is temporary weight gain. While the body gains immunity and combats it by building resistance to it... a process that lasts about 3 months **.
The most important, take home, message, however, is that no matter the cause, for most people, you CAN treat it, you CAN do something about it and whether or not you have been exposed to the virus or not, it remains the same... a healthy diet and active lifestyle -- that we are all in need of anyway.
As you will see, and as we have discussed, obesity (child or adult) is not an easy topic to tackle nor is it straightforward in finding a solution. However, the more education we have about it, the more we read and inform ourselves, the more we discuss, and the more positive actions take place, the faster we will get to that end of bring this disease under control.
* Article by Shawna Vogel, April 1999 issue, Discoverymagazine.com
** The Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Picture by macromagnon, PhotoXpress