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  • FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 2006 9:00 AM

Vaccinations Against Obesity?

Submitted by baudot

Edited by Shal

Since 50 such viruses could be involved and all require further study, Whigham thinks a vaccine could take 5 to 10 years or more to develop.

In the meantime, she said, "I don't think washing hands will rid us of obesity. Other studies suggest that diet and exercise do make a difference, so there is no reason to think 'Oh my gosh, there is a virus, so I'm going to give up trying to stay in shape.'"


That's right, kids. Some scientists now think that even obesity may be caused by external pathogens. It's part of a growing movement in medicine that suggests that bacteria and viruses may be responsible for more of our ailments than was previously thought possible, and it's been gaining steam since Dr. Barry Marshall took home a Nobel prize for his demonstration that the H. Pylori bacterium caused up to 80% of all stomach ulcers. Dr. Marshall's findings were initially rejected by the scientific community, but study after study vindicated them, including one in which Marshall provoked an ulcer in himself by downing draught of the bacteria, then cured the same ulcer with antibiotics.

Despite cultural pressure to view obesity as a failing of character or lifestyle, Dr. Whigham has produced impressive evidence that certain virii related to pink eye may play a contributing role.

Tests on humans appear to support the animal studies. Obese people are much more likely to possess antibodies in their systems for one or more of these viruses, which suggests the people were infected with the viruses and that their immune systems were trying to fight off the bugs.

...studies on twins reveal that if one twin possesses antibodies for the fat-targeting adenoviruses, this individual tends to be heavier than his or her twin, even though both individuals have the same genetic makeup and often have similar lifestyle habits.

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Comments
ninjatoes

ninjatoes

Newport, KY
August 2005

FEB 03, 2006 09:05 AM

Cootie shots for everyone!

ICY

ICY

Ireland
March 2005

FEB 03, 2006 09:47 AM

I saw a documentary about this quite a while back, they also tested a large sample of overweight and obese people in the UK to see if they had exposure to this virus.
Turned out that it was 1 in 6 that tested positive, showing that while it would appear to be a serious factor, most obesity is caused by lifestyle. And it showed that once affected by the virus, there is no cure. Your fat cells are altered for ever it would appear.

So put down the pie, fatty.

The details of the documentary from last year

1 in 6 results

GramNegative

GramNegative

I'm lost
October 2004

FEB 03, 2006 10:10 AM

ICY said:
I saw a documentary about this quite a while back, they also tested a large sample of overweight and obese people in the UK to see if they had exposure to this virus.
Turned out that it was 1 in 6 that tested positive, showing that while it would appear to be a serious factor, most obesity is caused by lifestyle. And it showed that once affected by the virus, there is no cure. Your fat cells are altered for ever it would appear.

So put down the pie, fatty.

The details of the documentary from last year

1 in 6 results


Yeah, I saw something about the 1/6 research too. But they were testing for only one virus.

Since 50 such viruses could be involved


So maybe some of those 49 others cause fattyness too.

Also, maybe we can cook up a virus that forever puts the fat cells back in non-fatty mode

[Edited on Feb 03, 2006 by GramNegative]

Doxie

Doxie

SUICIDEGIRL

Oregon, USA

FEB 03, 2006 10:49 AM

Oh man! whatever

Akrasia

Akrasia

Ireland
August 2004

FEB 03, 2006 11:53 AM

this can't be serious, is it from the onion or something?

hadees

hadees

Austin, TX
December 2003

FEB 03, 2006 12:03 PM

Now they just need a vaccination against lazy and stupid

cappy

cappy

Climax, MN
September 2003

FEB 03, 2006 12:19 PM

i could also mean that since more drugs are coming out for obesity over the counter, and the FDA will have to prove that obesity is a true disease, what better way to label the culprit as a virus .... if something isnt a disease the FDA cant approve the sale of millions in fun pills that can have more abusive side affects than the actual ailment

to bad the FDA doesnt recognize any homeopathic or even more natural ways of weight loss . seems to me they control the market in food to .... mcdonalds here i come right after i take my fat burner pill ! puke puke puke

Akrasia

Akrasia

Ireland
August 2004

FEB 03, 2006 06:10 PM

look i'll say it again, it's shit. If something looks like a shit, stinks like a shit and stains like a shit, it's almost certainly a shit.

obesity is not caused by a virus. viruses are very very small, fat people are very very big. Viruses are transmitted by contact, fatness is transmitted by food. no virus could be clever enough to force the body to make kilograms of fat out of energy that wouldn't otherwise be there never mind 50 viruses that are different enough to not be detected by the same test but all have the exact same result.
This 'study' has to be bullshit or a joke or something. is poverty a virus? what about stupidity?

Doxie

Doxie

SUICIDEGIRL

Oregon, USA

FEB 03, 2006 06:25 PM

hadees said:
Now they just need a vaccination against lazy and stupid



That'd be the day!

NickFaust

NickFaust

USA
April 2004

FEB 03, 2006 06:32 PM

I already have a vaccination against obesity. It is called diet and exercise.

Been around for years.

[Edited on Feb 03, 2006 by NickFaust]

filmnoir1

filmnoir1

Los Angeles, CA
April 2004

FEB 03, 2006 07:23 PM

Fatness, lazy, stupid: this used to be called speed )if you let him/her loose in a library).

Diet and exercise: the only ways to go. Pick up any books by Dr. Perricone; it's been a week since a gal pal started it, and she is RAPIDLY going down and having a great insight in life.

GramNegative

GramNegative

I'm lost
October 2004

FEB 03, 2006 09:30 PM

Akrasia said:
...
obesity is not caused by a virus. viruses are very very small, fat people are very very big. Viruses are transmitted by contact, fatness is transmitted by food. no virus could be clever enough to force the body to make kilograms of fat out of energy that wouldn't otherwise be there never mind 50 viruses that are different enough to not be detected by the same test but all have the exact same result.
...


That sure sounds like it came from the onion.
Was that a serious post?
A virus can cause cells to divide at an increased rate (cancer), but a virus can not cause fat cells to grow at an increased rate?

This thread sure brought out the fatists.

My token image for fat related threads:


[Edited on Feb 04, 2006 by GramNegative]

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