Obesity has been called an epidemic in the United States. Looking at an interactive statistic [CNN, flash] of the state-by-state numbers is sobering ^mf. 64% of adults are overweight and approx 25% are obese [Wikipedia 1, 2]. The usual suspects have so far been a culture of low-exercise ^mf high-consumption (due to urban sprawl, driving, TV, ... ), microbes ^mf, genetic predisposition, and bad diet (the ubiquity of junk food with its high levels of fat, sugar and salt. Recently the high fructose levels in the common American diet has also been noted. Fructose comprises 50% of table sugar and up to 90% of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), both ingredients found in copious amounts in most American 'convenience' foods. [Wikipedia: Fructose#References, Wikipedia:HFCS]).
Now it seems that a decisive assessory is a common virus, the Human Adenovirus-36, which may really make obesity an actual epidemic. [Int. Journal of Obesity, CNN]
posted on Aug 21, 2007 - View this thread

The Nata village blog - "A unique opportunity to witness the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in an African village."
posted on Apr 17, 2006 - View this thread

The West Nile virus has leapfrogged into California. Don't you find it suspicious that there are no subversive theories of how this virus showed up at all in New York, and now in California?
posted on Sep 13, 2002 - View this thread

a) A virus is a form of life.
b) Scientists 'assemble' a virus in vitro
c) Man has power to create life.

Discuss.
posted on Jul 11, 2002 - View this thread

HIV Can Persist in Rectum During Drug Treatment "The lining of the rectum may contain a significant reservoir of HIV even when drugs are holding down blood levels of the virus, results from a small study show. The findings suggest that HIV in the mucosal membrane of the rectum "might constitute a considerable obstacle" to the complete suppression of a patient's infection, according to the report.'' In a related study, women were found to have high levels of HIV in their genital tracts even when they had good control of their serum levels of HIV.
posted on Dec 1, 2001 - View this thread

Obesity is caused by a virus and it could be contagious!
Yet another excuse to give fat people a hard time.
posted on Jun 25, 2001 - View this thread

Today is World AIDS Day, and to commemorate this event (and the day without art and day without weblogs), I'll be posting AIDS/HIV-related links and I ask you all to do the same. A good information resource for today is the CDC's FAQ on AIDS. And I bet you've never seen the virus' life cycle before.
posted on Dec 1, 2000 - View this thread

Another chink in the armor of anti-fat bigots, haters and discriminators: Scientists discover common virus appears to cause obesity. Interestingly, it also seems to lower cholesterol at the same time.
posted on Jul 27, 2000 - View this thread