Can a Virus Make You Fat?

Just about everyone out there could stand to lose a few pounds. Weight loss is a big topic among many people, if not an obsession.

Some people seem to gain weight just by looking at food. It seems like there is a predisposition to gain weight in some people- no matter what they do.

Recent research revolved around the issue that exposure to a virus can actually cause you to develop fat cells.

Is there a connection between viruses and being overweight?

If you are one of those people that just can’t seem to lose weight and have no trouble gaining weight, then you may be very interested in some research that is being done at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Dr. Magdalena Pasarica, an obesity researcher, has discovered during her research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, that exposure to a virus called ad-36 (the virus that causes repiratory and eye infections), actually causes stem cells to develop into fat cells.

Although the research is not conclusive as of yet, the results will certainly help scientists to more closely evaluate the effect that a virus has on the overall health of our body. It has not been proven that this virus directly causes fat cells to develop.

Not everyone that is exposed to this virus will be affected the same way. More research will be done in the future.

In the mean time, a great way to avoid getting sick (with the potential fat-inducing virus) is to eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, plenty of rest and start washing your hands more frequently!