If Someone Coughs Or Sneezes You Can Catch Fat

Be careful if someone coughs near you. You could catch fat. Great Britain’s The Daily Express reports:

OBESITY can be “caught” as easily as a common cold from other people’s coughs, sneezes and dirty hands, scientists will claim today.

Researchers believe that an airborne “adenovirus” germ could be causing the fat plague that is blighting Britain and other countries.

As many as one in three obese people may have become overweight after falling victim to the highly infectious cold-like virus, known as AD-36.

Don’t read the next sentence if you’re eating lunch:

It is known to cause coughs, sore throats, diarrhea and conjunctivitis but has now also been found to make fat cells multiply, leading to weight gain.

The shocking discovery will add to evidence that Britain’s obesity epidemic is not simply down to an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise.

Could this be just an excuse? Some think so. But the website Chattahbox has more details:

A new study has found a possible link between a virus and obesity, in a study conducted by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in Louisiana.

The study found that the virus known as the adenovirus, is spread by dirty hands, and passes through the lungs. Once there, it increases fat cells drastically, and none are the wiser, as it’s usual symptoms are sore throat, cough, and a stuffy nose.

In previous tests, it was shown that mice with the virus gained weight at a significantly higher rate then those without it, and that a third of obese adults have the virus, many more then those who are lean.

“It goes to various organs and tissues such as the liver, kidney, brain and fat tissue,” explained Professor Nikhil Dhurandhar, the study leader.

“When this virus goes to fat tissue it replicates, making more copies of itself and in the process increases the number of new fat cells, which may explain why the fat tissue expands and why people get fat when they are infected with this virus.”

But the results have caused skepticism in most, and even concern that it is yet another excuse for obesity, taking away the focus of the main issue.

No matter. Although the idea of catching fat and flab isn’t good news (“Cover your mouth when you sneeze, Johnny or someone will catch your fat!”), it is liberating news.

Time to celebrate with a pizza with extra cheese– washed down with a milk shake and capped with a triple hot fudge sundae with lots of whipped cream.

Just don’t sneeze on it.