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Clinical Studies and Practice

Longitudinal investigation of adenovirus 36 seropositivity and human obesity: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 39, pages 1644–1650 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Adenovirus-36 (Adv-36) infection is associated with exaggerated adipogenesis in cell culture and the development of obesity in animal models and humans, but a causal relationship remains unproven. Our objective was to determine whether serological evidence of Adv-36 infection in childhood and/or adulthood is associated with adult obesity.

Subjects/Methods:

Paired plasma concentrations of Adv-36 antibodies were measured by a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a subgroup (n=449) of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study in childhood (mean age 11.9 years) and adulthood (mean age 41.3 years). The study group included (1) individuals who had maintained normal-weight status (2) those who became obese adults from a normal-weight status in childhood and (3) those that were overweight/obese as a child and obese as an adult.

Results:

Mean (s.d.) time between baseline and follow-up was 29.4 (3.2) years (range 21–31 years). A total of 24.4% of individuals who were normal weight throughout life were seropositive for Adv-36 during child and/or adulthood as compared with 32.3% of those who became obese adults (P=0.11). Those who became obese in adulthood were more likely to be Adv-36 seropositive as adults compared with those who maintained normal weight (21.3% vs 11.6%, P=0.02). This difference was mediated by a decline in Adv-36 seropositivity between child and adulthood in those maintaining normal weight. No differences were observed in body mass index across the life course, nor in waist circumference in adult life, between those who were Adv-36 seronegative or seropositive at any age.

Conclusions:

Individuals who gained weight across the life course were more likely to be Adv-36 seropositive in adult life than those who did not gain weight. However, analysis of change in weight status in relation to Adv-36 positivity did not support a causal role for Adv-36 in the development of obesity.

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Acknowledgements

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland: Grants 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117787 (Gendi) and 41071 (Skidi), the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kuopio, Tampere, and Turku University Hospital Medical Funds (9N035), Juho Vainio Foundation, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation (Terho L), Paavo Nurmi Foundation, Finnish Foundation of Cardiovascular Research and Finnish Cultural Foundation, Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation and Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Authors from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute are supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. MAS is supported through a National Health and Medical Research Council Health Professional Training Fellowship (APP1012201). CGM is supported through a National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship (APP1037559). Funding for the Adv-36 assays was provided through an internal grant awarded by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI).

Author Contributions

MAS is the named guarantor of this work. RLA and ZP-L undertook the Adv-36 assays. CGM and MJ had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analyses. MAS, DB, CGM and MJ primarily analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. MK, Terho L, NH-K, EJ, Tomi L and JSAV collected the data. OTR led the study.

Author information

Author notes

  1. M A Sabin and D Burgner: These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

    M A Sabin, D Burgner, M Cheung & M Juonala

  2. Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    M A Sabin, D Burgner & M Cheung

  3. Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    D Burgner

  4. Obetech Obesity Research Center, Richmond, VA, USA

    R L Atkinson & Z Pei-Lun Lee

  5. Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    C G Magnussen & O T Raitakari

  6. Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

    C G Magnussen

  7. Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    M Kähönen

  8. Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories, University of Tampere School of Medicine, Tampere, Finland

    T Lehtimäki

  9. Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    E Jokinen

  10. Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland

    T Laitinen

  11. Department of Pediatrics, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    N Hutri-Kähönen

  12. Department of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    J S A Viikari & M Juonala

  13. Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    J S A Viikari, M Juonala & O T Raitakari

  14. Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    O T Raitakari

Authors
  1. M A Sabin
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  2. D Burgner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M A Sabin.

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Competing interests

RLA is the owner of Obetech, LLC that provides assays for adenoviruses that are linked with obesity and has several patents in the area of virus-induced obesity (United States 6 127 113: Viral Obesity Methods and Compositions, with divisionals and United States 7 442 511: Adenovirus Type 36 as a Biomarker for Cancer, with divisionals). Obetech undertook the adenovirus assays described in this study at a research, rather than, commercial rate of financial support. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Sabin, M., Burgner, D., Atkinson, R. et al. Longitudinal investigation of adenovirus 36 seropositivity and human obesity: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Int J Obes 39, 1644–1650 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.108

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