obesity may be contagious

Viruses may cause some cases of obesity by making cells store more fat, according to a new study reported on Scientific American.com. Link

The study infected chickens with a human adenovirus—the same class of viruses that cause the common cold—and the chickens started packing on the pounds. Though the infected chickens ate as much as a control group, the infected chickens had more than twice the body fat after only 3 weeks. The researchers aren't sure yet the mechanisms behind this, but they're going to work on this.

"It makes people feel more comfortable to think that obesity stems from lack of control," the lead researcher told Scientific American.com. "It's a big mental leap to think you can catch obesity."

I suppose that if researchers ever develop a vaccine against such viruses, it will be a hot commodity, even for people who don't need it, or don't know they're infected.