• Question: Is the myth true that a type of disease passed on by sneezing can make you gain weight?

    Asked by to Bethany, Hannah, Keith, Peter, Ramya on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by , .
    • Photo: Hannah Tanner

      Hannah Tanner answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      Well this was something I’d never heard of so I looked it up.
      There’s a summary of an article here which reviews the scientific evidence about it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771001
      The virus in question is Adenovirus 36 which can give you a mild cold, eye infection or stomach upset. It could be passed on by sneezes or contact with tears or faeces from an infected person.
      The scientists who did the review conclude that adenovirus 36 MIGHT contribute to obesity but the exact mechanisms of how it might cause obesity are still not clearly understood. More work is needed.
      Getting a virus might make you more prone to being overweight but you can’t just blame the virus on its own. Other factors like eating too much or not doing enough exercise are definitely proven to make us gain weight.

    • Photo: Bethany Dearlove

      Bethany Dearlove answered on 18 Jun 2014:

      I’ll be honest – I hadn’t heard of this either, so thanks to you all who asked the question, and for Hannah for finding the answer!

      My initial thoughts, in case you’re interested, were along the lines of the weight gain being a side effect of the disease causing your body not to function correctly, or a side effect of a treatment, rather than a direct result of the infection itself. Looking at Hannah’s answer, it’s more likely to be the first option, but even the experts don’t know yet how it works…

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