Ad-37 is the third human adenovirus to increase adiposity in animals, but not all adenoviruses produce obesity.
There is a strong social bias against such findings because many people want to believe obesity is due to an individual's lack of control on some personal, mental level, but we now think viruses may be a factor.
More research is needed to find out if Ad-37 causes obesity in humans. One study was inconclusive, because only a handful of people showed evidence of infection with Ad-37 - not enough people to draw any conclusions.
We can't say for sure it's causing obesity in humans. We just know there's some pretty strong evidence at this point.
This is a novel concept as far as a cause for obesity. If these viruses are contributing to obesity, as we get to the point of developing a vaccine, there may be a way to help combat the obesity epidemic.
In our society, we're used to thinking of obesity as an issue of self-control. We think people aren't disciplined enough to exercise and control the food they eat. But there could be other factors that aren't in their control.
