New discovery: Obesity due to ... virus!

Obesity is often attributed to nutrition, sedentary. But recently, an American scientist who has discovered the cause of obesity can also be caused by . viruses!

As an expert on obesity causes, during the annual North American obesity study conference held in Western Canada, Professor Nikhil Dhurandhar of the University of Lusiana pointed out a number of pathogens Rapid growth in animal fat organizations, and research also found that many obese people have been infected with some viruses. This may imply that there is a connection between obesity and viral infection.

Picture 1 of New discovery: Obesity due to ... virus! According to studies, there are at least 10 viruses that are capable of causing animal obesity, such as rabies virus, avian RAV1, MAM1 virus, AD5 thorny skin cancer virus. , AD36, AD37 .

After 9 years of experimenting on monkeys, the professor concluded that a healthy monkey after being infected with AD36 virus, gained weight by 15% within half a year, the cholesterol index decreased by 30%. Even common types of bacteria can cause fat, because they have discovered, after mice are infected with common bacteria from another rat that has gastrointestinal disease, it also gets fat.

Since the 1980s, Nikhil has begun studying the relationship between obesity and viruses. When West India suffered a bird flu outbreak of MAM1, one of his friends noticed the phenomenon of chickens dying from viral infections as normal. They had chicken surgery and discovered: the chicken's liver and kidneys grew, the cholesterol level was low, the thymus also shrunk.

Picture 2 of New discovery: Obesity due to ... virus!

Virus found in 30% of blood samples

This phenomenon gave him an idea to study whether viruses affect human bodies? After examining the patients, he found that 20% of fat people were infected with MAM1, they gained significant weight, decreased cholesterol levels and were 20% heavier than normal fat people.

Later, he went to the American University of Wincosin and collaborated on research with Professor Richart Atkinson. Because the US banned the import of sick poultry from India, they decided to experiment with AD36 thorny skin cancer virus. They tested the virus on chickens, mice and monkeys, resulting in the animals being fated and reduced cholesterol. Because it was difficult to experiment on humans, they took 500 blood samples from Wincosin, Florida and New York states, showing that 30% of blood samples from fat people produced antibodies to AD36 virus, only 11% of blood samples. of people with normal weight can have antibodies.

This study shows that there must be a new perspective on obesity .

For a long time, people often attributed to the cause of obesity caused by overeating, sedentary or lack of will to reduce fat. But studies have increasingly shown that the cause of obesity is complex, but virus infection is one of the causes. Because fat people who have been infected with the virus will be very difficult to cure and treat, so in the future, weight loss vaccines will be an important key to preventing obesity.

Tuyet Nhung ( According to Xinhuanet )