Can Obesity Spread Like an Infection?

Can Obesity Spread Like an Infection? (0:21)

Although not contagious in the literal sense, many experts believe that obesity is infectious within social groups. In this video, HealthMaker Samuel Klein, MD, discusses this phenomenon.

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There is an infectious quality to obesity, and we know that now from recent studies showing this connectivity between social structures that obesity may be catching from one person to another. So obese people tend to be social with other obese people and those habits can be transmitted and transformed to others.

Samuel Klein, MD

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About Samuel Klein, MD

Samuel Klein, MD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine, is a nutritional specialist known for his research into weight loss and the causes of obesity.

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Can Obesity Spread Like an Infection?