Possible link between a common virus and childhood obesity - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

9/20/10

Possible link between a common virus and childhood obesity

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By Karin McCay| email

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – A new study finds a possible link between a common virus and childhood obesity. The bug is called Adenovirus Number 36. Scientists say it infects stem cells in the body which, turns them into fat.

In a study of over 100 children, researchers at University of California, San Diego, found 15-percent of those kids had the Adenovirus 36, and the majority of them were obese. They weighed an average  of 35 pounds or more than kids who did not have the infection.

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