Does the common cold cause childhood obesity?

New research links a cold virus to obesity in some kids. Is this a real breakthrough — or, as some critics say, just a new way to rationalize fat?

Researchers stress that good diet and exercise are still necessary for combating childhood obesity.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Poor diet is a factor. Lack of exercise doesn't help. But America's rapidly growing problem with childhood obesity might also be tied to a certain virus that causes the common cold, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics. It's important to recognize that "body weight is more complicated than it’s made out to be," and is not just "one's own fault or the fault of one's parents or family," says Dr. Jeffrey Schwimmer at U.C. San Diego, the lead author of the report. Still, how could a cold virus be to blame?

What did the researchers find?

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