Adenoviruses could also cause you to become fat, experts warn

January 16, 2017  22:30

It's sweeping the nation fast, leaving many with a hacking cough.

Now experts also warn that adenovirus - which can last for weeks - could make some people fat.

Currently tens of thousands of people across the country are reported to be suffering from the pneumonia-causing bug.

And treatment options are limited as research earlier this week deemed over-the-counter cough medicines ineffective.

Instead, health officials advise sufferers to up their fluid intake - allowing the body to fight the virus.

Previous research has found that a form of the virus that affects humans - known as Ad-36 - can cause chickens to put on weight.

But the same Indian scientists also discovered that it could cut levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides - found in the blood.

To confirm their results, they injected another group of chickens with a separate virus - while keeping some animals clear of either bug.

They found that those infected with Ad-36 became fatter.

And when repeating their studies on mice and marmosets, the results were found to be consistent.

Marmosets gained three times as much weight, increasing their body fat by around 60 per cent, it is reported.

Dr Richard Atkinson, from the University of Wisconsin, says there are three ways that could explain why adenovirus makes animals fat.

'It increases the uptake of glucose from the blood and converts it to fat,' he said in The Secret Life of Fat by Sylvia Tara.

'It increases the creation of fat molecules through fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that creates fat.

'And it enables the creation of more fat cells to hold all the fat by committing stem cells, which can turn into either bone or fat, into fat. 

'So the fat cells that exist are getting bigger, and the body is creating more of them.' 

However, the impact on human weight gain has yet to be studied.

Adenovirus often infects the airways and the intestinal tract and common complications include pneumonia and meningitis.

However, those with weakened immune systems are deemed the highest risk - with healthy adults normally able to fight it off.

Surgeries across England and Wales have reported an increasing number of people coming to them with nasty coughs - the main symptom.

And the virus has even been blamed in part for bay closures at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where doctors have reported a rise in patients coming to A&E with flu-related symptoms.

Dr Clare Gerada, former head of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said doctors are seeing 'a lot of people with a virus more severe than a normal cold, almost a type of bronchitis'. 

While John Oxford, an emeritus professor of virology at Queen Mary University of London, who has just recovered from the infection himself, says it is 'highly likely' the adenovirus is to blame for the outbreak.

It comes as the Queen was struck down by a 'heavy cold' over Christmas, missing the traditional church service at Sandringham for the first time.

And research earlier this week found that cough medicines bought over the counter at pharmacies work little better than a placebo.

Only cough drops were proven to work, although boiled sweets would have the same throat-soothing effect, experts from the American Chemical Society said.  

Dr Richard Pebody, from Public Health England, said: 'It is common to see an increase in acute respiratory tract infections at this time of the year. 

'Symptoms include coughs, runny nose, fever, sore throat, fatigue, aches and pains. 

'Our advice is to drink plenty of water, cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing, and always practise good hand hygiene by washing your hands with warm water and soap to help protect others from infection.'

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