Hmm, and I was convinced my rotundity was due to the comic book lifestyle. I stand corrected.

CTV.ca | Common virus may contribute to obesity — Hmm, there had to be more to it than fast food. If you look at some of the lard-oriented meals people ate in the 1800’s compared to today, you have to wonder what has changed. And while some fat pigs do eat all the time we know plenty of thin folks who eat like fiends and never get fat. (Until infected that is). Finding out how the virus is transmitted might be a good thing to know.

More importantly, the researchers have identified the specific gene in the virus that appears to be involved in this obesity-promoting effect: E4Orfl.

The field of research investigating the role of viruses in obesity — dubbed “infectobesity” — is still relatively new and experimental. Researchers don’t believe that infection with one of these pathogens is the sole cause of obesity but they say some obesity cases may involve viral infections.

“I think what this virus story really tells us is that obesity is a much more complicated issue than we think. It’s very easy to blame the obesity epidemic on fast food and people watching too much television,” said Dr. Arya Sharma, a McMaster University professor who is also the Canada research chair in cardiovascular obesity research and management.



  1. Tubby says:

    So, how is it transmitted?

    I thought it was all the sitting at the computer, pizza, and beer…

    It was simply that night I went hoggin’! One little mistake…

    … kissing a fat chick…

  2. ECA says:

    This could be part of the problem…
    BUT,
    I also consider that we ARENT eating LARD..
    we are eating some STRANGE vegetable oils and fats..
    ALSo that the fats we are getting ARNT PURE…
    most dont kow this but we store ALOT of BAD things in our OWN fats.

    the other thing to think about is SALT. compared to 50 years ago we are up to 10 times on 2 main products…SALT and SUGAR.
    Have you ever seen what salt does in FAT?? go look, has to be on the net someplace. AND we arnt getting STRAIGHT SALT…

  3. Sugarbear says:

    Four words:

    High Fructose Corn Syrup

    That’s the problem, pure and simple.

  4. Jeremy says:

    Oh boy, now half the population of USA has an excuse why they weigh more than their car does. Its simple! Eat less, move around more.

  5. TIHZ_HO says:

    #3 Add to that Trans Fats and gallons of soft drinks.

    Maybe there is something to this ‘virus’ as well AND body genetics.

    Anyone who has travelled to China for real Chinese food would shocked on how much fat and oil is in the food that Chinese eat.

    Cubes of pork fat (chunks of bacon but less meat) is popular as well as most everything, like vegetables, is swimming and dripping in oil!!

    In Chinese supermarkets the OIL isle is like the Soda isle in American supermarkets. Oil in China is usually sold in gallon or half gallon jugs – which lasts only one or two weeks.

    Chinese kitchens are designed to handle all this cooking in oil with overhead high speed exhaust fans designed to catch the oil with drip trays – like at a fast food restaurant. Additionally Chinese kitchens have doors to close them off from the rest of the apartment to limit oil smoke from permeating everywhere.

    #4 With this high FAT and OIL diet Chinese are still thin…WTF, maybe its riding all the bicycles that does the trick… 😉

    Cheers

  6. jasontheodd says:

    #2…..
    nothing personal man, but THE alternating CAPITAL letters IS more than I can TAKE at FIVE am….

  7. Named says:

    6,

    That’s ECA’s MO. Caps in odd places, spelling errors and a jerky, disjointed word stream. We love him for it.

    5,

    China is not a good example. They have shockingly high poverty levels. And I bet if you took a look at percentages, you’d find China has more fat people than the US since. They have 5 times the population, so it’s very possible. Canada is a better example.

  8. Nth of the 49th says:

    And Canada has 10 times less population than the States, so how is that a good comparison.

    Get off your fat asses is the best cure, plain and simple.
    But in todays society we all know that people aren’t responsible for their actions.

  9. Nth of the 49th says:

    or inaction in this case.

  10. TIHZ_HO says:

    #7 you’d find China has more fat people than the US…

    ROTFL!!!!!!!!!! You are kidding right!! LOL!!!

    I live in Shanghai and there are simply no fat people to be seen! Period So there goes your argument about poverty being the reason for Chinese being thin! In fact there are more fat people (well what Chinese consider fat anyway, but nowhere near the American Zeppelin Class Fat People ) outside of Shanghai. 😀

    So all these American Zeppelin Class Fat People must be locked away in special Fat Camps so no one see them!! LOL!!!

    Cheers…

    That was funny!

  11. nightstar says:

    One possible cause overlooked in the suggestions here are hormones. Our meat, eggs and dairy have high doses of growth hormones designed to increase productivity in farm animals.

    I can’t cite any scientific evidence here, maybe someone else can do my legwork for me ^^ It does seem likely however that bovine growth hormones designed to grow a cow in half the time might do the same for young Americans.

  12. moss says:

    #12 – Offering articles grounded in science and legit research doesn’t limit commenters to those with understanding. Although, some of the really spooky dweebs seem to restrain their participation – and stick to what they (think they) know best: religion and Rumpelstiltskin.

    The article at the other end of the link opens up quite naturally into examining broader interrelationships – as I would expect.

  13. Greg Allen says:

    >> #8 Get off your fat asses is the best cure, plain and simple.

    Are you or have you ever been obese? Do you have a degree in the subject?

    I’m just curious how you can so definitively declare obesity is so “simple” as to get off ones “fat ass”

    That’s just a dumb thing to say, IMHO, sort of like saying that the best way to cure alcohol is to “stop drinking your asses off” or the best way to end war is to “stop shooting each others asses.”

    C’mom everybody. Let’s stop insulting the obese with bigoted sniping.

  14. art says:

    #11. Very good point!
    #14. I’m guessing you or somebody close to you is obese, but #8 is right; there are some exceptions, but as a whole US suffers from a complete lack of mental discipline (example of typical American whining: “that’s too hard…” or “you did the best you can…” – you can always do better especially if you failed the first time).
    And what’s even worst majority believes in magic pills that our scientists will eventually deliver to solve any and all our problems….

  15. Iamanassholetoo says:

    Any excuse will do for being a lard ass…..

  16. Nth of the 49th says:

    #14
    Yes I have been obese.
    As a result of sitting on MY fat ass.

    All it took was a little daily exercise and using a little moderation in what I ate.

  17. TIHZ_HO says:

    #12 Yes you and me both! HK or Cantonese food is very nice! I am unfortunately saddled with Shanghainese food which is very oily, bland and tends to be sweet. 🙁

    Some of the Chinese interpretations of what they think western food is like is downright amusing! Like hot dogs that are sweet on a sweet roll with something that looks like mayonnaise and corn so that relish & mustard wouldn’t even get close to fixing it.

    McDonald’s tastes exaclty the same in China as in America same as as Papa John’s Pizza, KFC etc no surprise there I guess. The one thing that does grind my gears (and I know its wrong) is that say at McDonald’s you can’t order in English… Ask for a Big Mac and they look at you dumbfounded. But when my wife and I were in MN at a Chinese restaurant they couldn’t speak Chinese either and of course my wife would rub my nose it in… LOL!

    Cheers

  18. Mr. Fusion says:

    This is quite plausible. For decades the medical community believed stress caused stomach ulcers until it was discovered they were actually caused by an easily treated bacteria.

    I’ve said it before. The US and Canada are very similar in culture and eating habits. Both use genetically modified foods and growth hormone and antibiotic laced meat. The largest exception being Canadians use much more cane sugar while Americans use corn sweeteners. Canada has less then half the obesity rate the US does.

  19. AaronW says:

    If the fatties just got off their butts and quit the fast food we wouldn’t be a nation of whales.

  20. Angel H. Wong says:

    IMNHO it’s all about genetics, my cousins are stick thin no matter what they eat and I have to be careful with the amount of calories I have to consume, nature sure is cruel..

  21. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    #7 – That’s ECA’s MO. Caps in odd places, spelling errors and a jerky, disjointed word stream. We love him for it.

    You love him for it. I love him in spite of it.

    #14 – That’s just a dumb thing to say, IMHO, sort of like saying that the best way to cure alcohol is to “stop drinking your asses off” or the best way to end war is to “stop shooting each others asses.”

    Well… the ignorant sure like to flap their gums. It’s like how ducks like to swim. You really can’t do much about it.

    There is absolutely no credible medical professional who will deny that a healthy diet and daily exercise isn’t a major part of the answer, but you boneheads with no medical training and no understanding of industrial farming and no personal knowledge about the lives of others might want to consider that you should shut the fuck up. You are mean spirited ignorant jack-asses.

    Weight related issues have a variety of components, and for many people, diet and exorcise are only a part of the solution. And for 100% of us, actually finding out how our modern factory food (which includes such complex modern foods as corn and broccoli) are actually made is an important part of protecting out health no matter what weight we are.

    Oh and Fusion… Good points…

  22. BobH says:

    Travel to a Wal-Mart. Take a look around. That’s America.

    Believing the answer is ‘eat less and exercise more’ is naive. Of course a healthy life-style is beneficial – but don’t be so ignorant of the additives in food nor how products are chemically manipulated to serve marketing. Unless you grow your own, ‘edible’ is legal definition crafted by lobbyists. And corporate America will happily sell cancer as long as they make a profit. Sugarbear points to High Fructose Corn Syrup. I suggest reading more of the label. Were I a betting man, I’d wager 99% of the items on a supermarket shelf should not be ingested.

  23. KVolk says:

    So I can call in fat to my job to more. No really it’s a virus thing and I don’t want to infect anyone else.

  24. tallwookie says:

    #24 – too late 😉


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