Dr. Eleanor Raffan from the University of Cambridge shared that “by studying dogs, we’ve honed in on some interesting new biology here.”
UK scientists have learned that Labradors, in particular, tend to have a persistent appetite and are more susceptible to being under the category of “overweight” in their health, and it turns out they share a similar biology with humans who are prone to obesity themselves.
By analyzing the genetics of 250 labradors, as reported by BBC News, it was found that a biological link between dogs and humans had been discovered in their examination. Researchers identified a common gene in overweight dogs, the DENND1B, which happens to be associated with higher body mass in humans as well.
While there was no suspicion that the gene had any relation with obesity, it was explained by Dr. Raffan that this alters a tendency to weight gain as it “interferes with a brain signalling pathway that helps regulate our appetite.” This is said to modify a structure involved in balancing the hunger we feel, together with the energy that we burn off.
This finding happens to be quite significant after it was noted that this could be a means to contribute to future developments of new prescriptions that aim to tackle obesity. Even so, a little disclaimer mentioned by the involved scientists is that people and owners of dogs whose pets have this genetic proneness or diagnosis will still need to put in the work to “offset its effects.”
The genetic discovery helped the researchers in identifying a different biological pathway that influences overeating, distinct from the ways that drugs like Ozempic and other medications address. Dr. Raffan further discussed the matter and shared that “low willpower” isn’t necessarily what results in people who fall under the condition of obesity as it is due to people’s genetic risks.
Thanks to the labradors subject to the study, researchers were able to discover this genetic similarity, which can potentially inspire people in fields of science and health to produce new treatments or preventative strategies to combat this health risk.
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