[Løvetann]

Childhood obesity is not only an epidemic, it may be an infectious disease transmitted by a common cold virus, a new study suggests.

Children exposed to adenovirus-36 were more likely to be obese than were children who had no evidence of infection, according to a study published online Sept. 20 in Pediatrics. The new study is the latest to link the virus to obesity in people. Recent studies of Korean children and both American and Italian adults have shown that obese people are more likely to have antibodies against the virus -- a sign of a prior infection -- than normal-weight people are.

Adenoviruses are some of the many viruses responsible for causing colds and stomach ailments in people.

Les mer her: http://news.discovery.com/human/viru...d-obesity.html