It is important that individuals learn if they have been infected with the Ad-36 virus. Many overweight and obese people suffer discrimination, and many in our society believe that obesity is due simply to lack of willpower or self-discipline. However, the obesity virus test may give evidence that in some people, obesity is a disease caused by infection with a virus.

The Ad-36 virus test is most important for people who are not obese. Based on the animal studies, there is a 60% to 100% risk of becoming obese if a person has a positive Ad-36 test. Just as a cholesterol test predicts the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, the Ad-36 test predicts who may become obese. For people with a high cholesterol test or for people with a positive Ad-36 test, watching the diet, being physically active, and in some cases taking drugs can reduce or eliminate the risk of future disease.

It is much easier to prevent obesity than it is to treat it. When a person starts to gain weight, fat cells get bigger. Once fat cells reach a certain size, they start to make factors that cause new fat cells to form. Stopping early weight gain will keep fat size lower and decrease the production of new fat cells. Being tested for the obesity virus will alert a person that he or she must very carefully avoid the initial weight gain to break the cycle and prevent obesity. A person who is starting to gain weight for unknown reasons also might want to be tested for Ad-36 antibodies before weight gain gets out of control.

If the test comes back positive, what happens then? We recommend that people who test positive for Ad-36 should contact their personal physician right away to start a treatment program to prevent further weight gain or to prevent becoming overweight. The standard treatments are eating a healthier diet with lots of vegetables and fruits, reducing calorie intake, increasing physical activity to obtain 30-90 min of vigorous activity (such as walking) at least 5 days per week, and in cases where it they are indicated, starting drugs that may lower body weight or prevent weight gain. For people who qualify, obesity surgery may cause dramatic weight losses.

Obetech is starting research to determine if certain types of drugs may be used to produce weight loss in overweight or obese people who test positive, and to prevent weight gain in all Ad-36 positive individuals. Check this website to follow the progress of the research.

Physicians who wish to test their patients for the obesity virus should contact Obetech. Special arrangements can be made to ship samples in batches to reduce costs. Also, physicians interested in research on the obesity virus may discuss their ideas with Dr. Atkinson.