Can a Cold Lead to Childhood Obesity?

Researchers have found a possible link between infection with a strain of cold virus and the development of childhood obesity. Among a group of 124 children, antibodies to adenovirus 36 were detected in 22 percent of those who were obese, compared with only 7 percent of those whose weight was in the normal range, according to Dr. Charles Gabbert of the University of California San Diego and colleagues. Mean weight in those who carried antibodies to the virus was 92.9 kg, compared with 69.1 kg...Full Story