Virus causing obesity? (from Jill)

Researchers have been suggesting for years that there may be a virus that is causing or at least contributing to the increasing cases of obesity in humans. A particular strain of adenovirus (a common virus among many animal species) may cause obesity by turning "regular" cells into "fat" cells once they become infected with the virus. However, these studies have only been done in animal populations and there is no way to know what the onset of infection is to when the change in weight would occur. They theorize that having this virus may just PREDISPOSE you to being overight but it is very important to note that there is NO evidence that, even if you have the virus, that you still couldn't maintain a healthy weight through proper diet and exercise.