Viral Infections and Adiposity

A prevailing theory is that obesogenic behaviors such as overeating and physical inactivity are the major causes of obesity. This implies that the development of obesity and its management are under volitional control. However, many factors affect food intake, physical activity, and metabolic rate that are not under conscious control. Obesity caused by infections is one such example, which challenges the prevailing dogma. Certain infections may cause obesity without the obesogenic behavior of overeating or physical inactivity. The actual cause of obesity, in this case, is the infection, and eliminating such obesity would require treating or preventing the offending adipogenic microbe infection.