You and your Labrador Retriever may share same gene linked to obesity: Study

The issue of obesity affects millions of people worldwide. In the latest study, researchers found that one gene called DENND1B drives some Labrador Retrievers to overeat and gain weight. The same gene is also found in humans.

The study published in the journal Science revealed that British Labrador Retrievers have multiple genes related to canine obesity.

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The study found that some Labrador Retrievers don’t know when to stop when it comes to hunger eating, and they also have multiple genes associated with canine obesity. The study revealed that the same genes found in these perennially hungry hounds are also associated with obesity in humans.

The researchers performed a canine genome-wide association study for body condition score, which is a measure of obesity, in 241 Labrador Retrievers.

They used a cross-species approach to show canine obesity genes are also associated with rare and common forms of obesity in humans.

The study found that lead canine association was within the gene DENN domain containing 1B (DENND1B) and each copy of the alternate allele was associated with ~7% greater body fat.

"We demonstrate a role for this gene in regulating signaling and trafficking of melanocortin 4 receptor, a critical controller of energy homeostasis. Thus, canine genetics identified obesity genes and mechanisms relevant to both dogs and humans," the authors said in the study.

As quoted by BBC, lead researcher Dr Eleanor Raffan from the University of Cambridge's Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, explained, "By studying dogs, we've honed in on some interesting new biology here."

She further added that the discovery showed that "owners of slim dogs are not morally superior - and the same is true of slim people".

"If you have a high genetic risk of obesity, you're prone to gaining weight unless you put a huge effort into not doing so. And those with low genetic risk just don't have to work so hard."

The study found that DENND1B was associated with a higher body mass in the Labradors. The researchers then searched through a library of genetic information from thousands of humans, and they were surprised to see that the same gene was associated with a higher body mass in people.

"No one suspected that gene had anything to do with obesity" before this study of Labrador genetics, Dr Raffan said, further adding, "It alters the predisposition to weight gain because it's tweaking a system that is involved in regulating how hungry we feel and how much energy we burn off."