We only have a few more days left in this series of posts about childhood obesity to honor National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Before you dismiss this as a glorified excuse for overweight kids, look at this research. Some of the problem could be traced to a certain strain of the virus that causes the common cold.
It’s called adenovirus 36, and it causes the common cold. New research showed a surprising result. Children with this particular strain of virus were an average of 50 pounds heavier than children who hadn’t! Yes, 50 pounds! That is a lot of weight – especially for a child.
The researchers hope by learning about this unlikely cause, people will be less likely to blame children and focus more on the ways to combat childhood obesity. It also helps people see that obesity is not a simple issue with simple answers.
Even if the virus does cause extra weight gain it’s still important to eat healthy and exercise. “There’s no question that eating healthfully and having regular, fun physical activity is good for you. The reason we care about these behaviors is improving health.”
The study was not large — it included 124 children between the ages of 8 and 18. 62% of the children were Hispanic, 27% were white and 11% were black. 56% were male. More than half of the children — 67 — were considered obese for their age and gender.
15% of the children had antibodies to adenovirus 36 (AD36). So they had been previously infected with this virus. Almost one in four (22%) obese children tested positive for AD36. Just 7% of the non-obese children showed exposure. On average, children who were positive for a previous adenovirus 36 infection were about 50 pounds heavier than those who tested negative.
“Even within the entire group of obese children, those who were AD36-positive weighed about 35 pounds more than obese children who hadn’t been infected with AD36.”
The study appeared in the Sept. 20 online issue of Pediatrics.
If this study holds true then hopefully there will be a vaccine to prevent AD36 at some point. But of course it could be that already obese children are more susceptible to this virus. While the weight differences are dramatic the number of children in the study is small.
Tips to help children avoid obesity:
- eat breakfast every day
- be sure kids get adequate sleep
- limit sweet beverages (soda and juice) and fast food
- make physical activity a daily habit and getting a dog may help
- families need to eat meals together
- parents need to limit time watching TV, computer time and time spent playing video games.
