First of all,
the "suggestive" studies only pinpoint virus-related obesity in a certain
percentage of the population that might cause those extra pounds to pile
on.
The culprit
seems to be adenovirus-37, which is present in about 20 to 30 percent of
heavy people, and only about 5% of those who are normal or lean.
The interesting
thing is that those who have the virus don't necessarily feel inspired to
eat more. Rather their metabolic rate seems to slow down and thereby makes
the normal intake of calories to convert to fat.
The impact or
relevance of this to stress is that we live in a world of viruses. Some of
us will be exposed to certain viruses and show severe symptoms. Our immune
systems just can't fight off the rapidly exploding viruses in our systems.
Others of us
will not get sick or otherwise show symptoms.
This is the
point we need to pay attention to. People who manage their stress well are,
over all, less likely to get infected by viruses or show symptoms related
to that virus.
What do those
people do? The effective stress managers have a healthy attitude towards
life, they exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and know what they want
out of life.
Rather than
jump for joy that obesity be caused by a virus (If this is the case,
we come up with a cure!), it is better to understand that there is no
substitute for a healthy life style that doesn't let stress negatively impact
our immune systems.
Janelle
Barlow, Author
The Stress Manager
