Researchers at Cambridge University looked at Labrador Retrievers (the most popular breed in the USA and the UK) to assess why that breed is more prone to obesity than other breeds. “Food is often used as a reward during training, and carry this variant can make dogs are more motivated to work for a bite”, say the authors, who included in the study 81 farmers’ assistance, of which 76% showed a genetic adjustment. The latest study shows that POMC in Labradors is more similar to ours, meaning these dogs may help us to better understand the importance of this gene in human weight gain. And the research found that one particular gene – POMC – was associated with obesity in the labradors, with around one in four labradors thought to carry the gene.
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From this they pinpointed a gene known as POMC, which is an important part of the mechanism that turns down background hunger when the body has plentiful energy reserves laid down as fat.
“What we’ve found in the study is that there really is a hard-wired reason for some Labradors to be completely obsessed by food”, Raffan said in an interview.
Britain’s favourite pets carry a gene associated with obesity that not only makes them podgy but easy to train.
Now that the gene variant has been discovered, it opens the possibility to breeding the mutation out of Labradors, to produce leaner dogs, says O’Donovan.
The researchers determined that the mutation was markedly more common in 81 assistance Labrador retrievers that were included in the study. Not all of the dogs with the DNA variation were obese, and some were obese without having the mutation, but the POMC deletion was nonetheless associated with greater weight.
The mutation appears to be specific to Labradors and flat-coat retrievers and correlates with an increased tendency toward food-motivated behavior. These dogs are also easy to train and food is often used as a reward during their training. For an worldwide team of scientists, led by the University of Cambridge (UK), this phenomenon could only have a genetic explanation.
According to the author of the study, Eleanor Raffan, constantly seeking food and overeating is a common trait amongst labs, regardless of owner and environment.
Scientists have confirmed what many dog owners have long suspected.
At least one copy of this variant is carried by 23 percent of Labradors.
This gene, known as POMC, was linked to the release of hunger-controlling endorphins that tell you when you’ve had enough. Indeed, they have a crucial role to play in monitoring what their dogs eat and in helping them stay slim.
Raffan said that carrying the variant is a double-edged sword since it may facilitate their training, but also makes them susceptible to obesity. This is something owners need to be aware of so they can actively manage their dog’s weight.”Co-author Dr Giles Yeo said”.
The Labrador retriever is known to be one of the greediest breeds of dog.
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Scientist also believe that understanding how the gene – which is also found in humans – works in dogs might help tackle the obesity crisis.
