Labradors and humans share multiple genes associated with obesity, researchers have found.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge found the gene most strongly linked with obesity in Labradors is called DENND1B.
The gene is carried by humans and is also linked to obesity in people, according to a new study.
It was found to directly affect a brain pathway responsible for regulating the energy balance in the body.
Four further genes associated with canine obesity, but to a lesser extent, were also found – and are also carried by humans.
“We measured how much dogs pestered their owners for food and whether they were fussy eaters,” said Natalie Wallis, one of the authors of the report.
“Dogs at high genetic risk of obesity showed signs of having [a] higher appetite, as has also been shown for people at high genetic risk of obesity.”
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The study found that dog owners who strictly controlled their pets’ diet and exercise managed to prevent even those with high genetic risk from becoming obese – but much more attention and effort was required.
Similarly, the researchers said, people at high genetic risk of developing obesity will not necessarily become obese – but they are more prone to weight gain.
As with human obesity, no single gene determined whether the dogs were prone to obesity – the net effect of multiple genetic variants determined whether dogs were at high or low risk.
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“Studying the dogs showed us something really powerful: owners of slim dogs are not morally superior,” says Dr Eleanor Raffan, who led the study published in the journal Science.
“The same is true of slim people. If you have a high genetic risk of obesity, then when there’s lots of food available, you’re prone to overeating and gaining weight unless you put a huge effort into not doing so.”
Roughly 40-60% of pet dogs are overweight or obese, which can lead to a range of health problems.
The figure is currently mirrored in humans.
