Posted on 08/20/2007 1:44:54 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A common virus caused human adult stem cells to turn into fat cells and could explain why some people become obese, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The research builds on prior studies of adenovirus-36 -- a common cause of respiratory and eye infections -- and it may lead to an obesity vaccine, they said.
"We're not talking about preventing all types of obesity, but if it is caused by this virus in humans, we want a vaccine to prevent this," said Nikhil Dhurandhar, an associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University System.
The virus adenovirus-36 or Ad-36, caused animals to pack on the pounds in lab experiments. "These animals accumulated a lot of fat," Dhurandhar said in a telephone interview.
Dhurandhar also has shown that obese people were three times more likely to have been infected with Ad-36 than thin people in a large study of humans.
Now, researchers in Dhurandhar's lab have shown that exposure to the virus caused adult human stem cells to turn into fat-storing cells.
Dr. Magdalena Pasarica, who led the study, obtained adult stem cells from fat tissue of people who had undergone liposuction. Stem cells are a type of master cell that exist in an immature form and give rise to more specialized cells.
Half of the stem cells were exposed to the virus Ad-36. After a week, most of the infected stem cells developed into fat cells, while the uninfected cells were unchanged.
Pasarica presented her findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
"The virus appears to change their commitment to a fat storing cell," Dhurandhar said, adding that Ad-36 is just one of 10 pathogens linked to obesity and that more may be out there.
He acknowledged that some people might find it hard to believe that a virus could be responsible for obesity.
"Certainly overeating has something to do with gaining weight. No doubt about that. But that is not the whole truth," Dhurandhar said. "There are multiple causes of obesity. They range from simple overeating to genes to metabolism and perhaps viruses and infections."
Long term, he said he hoped to develop a vaccine and perhaps treatments for the virus. But first, he and colleagues need to better understand the role of Ad-36 in human obesity, he said.
Globally, around 400 million people are obese, including 20 million children under age 5, according to the World Health Organization.
I’d like my vaccine supersized please.
But-but-the SCIENTISTS SAY SO! /sssss
I’m not saying there can’t be other causes, this whole discussion would work a lot better if you didn’t make assumptions about what I’m saying, stick to what I write because 100% across the board every one of your assumptions has proven the old rhyme true.
Certainly we know of body type and glandular issues. But that doesn’t change certain facts. And among those facts are that you and your niece did crash dieting and you present that as evidence against something that isn’t crash dieting. And the diet you’re saying you used but actually didn’t actually does work, and works very well, is the basis of the most successful weight loss programs in the world, and is the method used by doctors to deal with morbid obesity.
Eat less exercise more DOES work for the majority of people IF they do it right. Doing it right means DO NOT turn it into a crash diet, DO NOT go into starvation mode, and DO NOT go back to how you ate before when you achieve your goal. Doing it right means stick to it, don’t expect instant results, don’t let the plateaus get you down, and understand this is a 100% change in your lifestyle. And doing it right also means find you if you’re part of the minority with some sort of pre-existing condition, don’t fight your own genetics.
Were the people that requested it fat?
That’s why I mentioned that we know so much more today about nutrition. You are right on about the servings too. I always laugh when I read the serving size on some of the packages - I know very few people who only eat 1/2 cup ice cream (ha ha).
LOL.
The first problem is when someone looks at an eating plan as a "diet".
How long can one eat only 1000 calories? It has to be forever.
The truth is that it has to be forever for some people. Especially for those addicted to food. The abstinance menus of Over Eaters Anonymous and Compulsive Eaters Anonymous are approximately 1,000 per day or less. If someone has been obese (clinically speaking) there is a very real possibility of food addiction issues.
Sooner or later when you go back to eating normally (like with bread)
That is the issue. The clinically obese individual can never go back to eating bread. Ever. They can never go back to eating white flour or sugar in any large quantity at any time. If a person goes to have a lap band procedure or stomach stapling, they are now required to have counseling on food addiction before and after the surgery.
People are eating salads and not losing a pound.
Sorry, I don't believe it. They must be eating much more than salads.
So for some people, the eat less/move more formula works. When one has to lose 20 pounds, it works,
No matter what eating plan a person follows, quantity is the key issue. It is a basic choice: eat more and suffer ( or die) or eat less and live.
I have suffered from obesity issues myself and have a daughter who is obese. No matter what excuse she makes for eating, it is always a choice. I am not minimizing the difficulty at all- it is like climbing a mountain. For most, it takes a life changing moment to finally accept it.
If you're not one of the small number of people suffering from a rare disorder, you will lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume.
Plateaus happen. People are eating salads and not losing a pound. One only has so much time to exercise.
People may think they've plateaued but unless they've found a way to repeal the first law of thermodynamics, they're just fooling themselves. You can't get something from nothing. If you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight. It's a lot easier process if you're exercising regularly. Everyone can find an hour in their day to exercise, especially if they're obese. Exercising at the right time can also help you control the urge to eat.
...need more ATVs! That’s the answer!
I’ve read in multiple sources that one “serving” is approx the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
I caught a viral infection a number of years ago, and it shut down my thyroid. I currently take a high dosage to combat a non-working thyroid (3x the normal dosage)
And, if I wasn't taking it, I could subside on a 1000 cal diet, and not lose weight. So, with a major eating habit change, and vigorous exercise, I manage.
So, it might be possible, but I won't count out lifestyle either. I won't be a liberal. I take respoinsibility for my behavior, and my lifestyle.
Serving sizes they put on packages are just made up to make their numbers nicer. You see these two in a package snack cake things and they’ll say there’s 3 servings in the package, who eats 2/3 of a freaking snack cake.
Virus also makes them line up in front of McDonalds for the Super Big Macs Fries and jumbo colas
“Being dismissive around here is commonplace.”
It sure is. It is a real shame. Kindof defeats the notion of “compassionate conservative”, doesn’t it?
I am totally in agreement with you.
There isn’t a sufficient explanation for why some people can eat however much and however what they want and still remain slim, slender or thin (or whatever you call it).
Others can be on a low-calorie diet forever and may lose weight initially, but only have to stray off the reservation for a couple of weeks and everything starts back where it was.
There is no doubt in my mind that there’s an answer and if someone is looking for it and finds it, it will be a very good thing.
Sounds like your girlfriend needs a complete endocrine workup. It may not be the thyroid. My wife had similar problems and the root cause turned out to be Cushing’s Disease - which is caused by a pituitary tumor that overstimulates the adrenal glands.
I know. That’s why it cracks me up. That’s another reason a lot of us ARE overweight.
Oh, BTW, I saw on Drudge that the UK is now saying that half their cats and dogs are now overweight; guess they must’ve got that same virus that makes people fat.
LOL!!!!
Years ago, one of my physician friends told me to stay away from commercials. She said they are notorious for making us overeat. I know she’s right because when I took my A&P class in college, I also learned that seeing food can start the digestive juices flowing.... that can make us even hungrier... so, she was right about those food commercials.
Plateaus in weight loss are legitimate, but people trying to lose weight need to understand that there’s a lot that goes on when you’re changing your physique. What usually happens during a plateau is you’re actually piling on muscle at a rate that’s keeping up with the fat your burning, and also your skin is tightening. The hard part for a person trying to lose weight is to not get discouraged during the plateaus, if you’re trying to lose more than 15 to 20 pounds it’s pretty much guaranteed to happen but it’s not a bad thing, it doesn’t mean the program has stopped working, it doesn’t mean they’ve failed, it’s just how the body works. Periodically it’s just going to pause in doing stuff that changes what the scale says, but if you’re on a good program it will restart.
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