ad 36 virus

A common cold virus may be a factor behind obesity, the researchers in the U.S., which for the first time shown that the virus may make not only animals but also people, to become fatter.

- We are not saying that a virus is the only cause of obesity, but this study gives us stronger evidence that some cases of obesity may be linked to viral infections, "said Magdalena Pasarica of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

The researchers used the stem cells from tissue left over from liposuction patients, and exposed some of the cells to the virus Ad-36. After a week, most of the virus-exposed cells developed into fat cells, which did not happen with the other cells.

What causes the change, how long the virus are staying in the body or on the fat-increasing effect persists even after the virus leaves the body, is still unclear, the researchers note. Research on animals has shown that they remained obese up to six months after infection