Is Obesity Contagious?
A new study has found that healthy human cells turn into fat when infected with AD-36, a virus that may cause obesity. Dr. Sean Kenniff reports.

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Paula Santiago has struggled with weight most of her life.

"Like I’ve always been big and then after having my two kids, it just went up and up and up and up…"

Most Americans are overweight and the causes are countless, a recent study even found our friends can make us fat. But Doctor Magdalena Pasarica has another reason why obesity is spreading so quickly, a virus called AD36.

"Ad36, induces storage of fat."

Could the obesity epidemic be blamed on a virus? Well, AD36 is contagious and it’s possible you’ve had it. It doesn’t make a person sick but it may help them gain weight by causing fat cells to divide and spread.

Previous study show animals infected with the virus put on pounds and when Dr. Pasarica tested AD36 on healthy human cells in the lab, they turned into fat cells.

"These suggest that AD36 could be a cause for human obesity."

But how much of a cause is unknown and any kind of treatment is way off. Mount Sinai dietitian Rebecca Solomon says virus or no virus the solution is still the same.

"Eventually, you have say, well, I can either be obese or I can fight this thing."

Recent weight-loss surgery has Paula winning that fight. She's down 20 pounds and plans to lose much more.

Dr. Sean Kenniff, CBS news.

(Transcribed by flyideal)

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