“By studying dogs, we’ve honed in on some interesting new biology here,” explained lead researcher Dr Eleanor Raffan from the University of Cambridge’s department of physiology, development and neuroscience.
She 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.”
This canine-human biological link came from the researchers’ examination of the genetics of 250 labradors. The team looked for pieces of genetic code that were common in overweight dogs.
They picked out one gene in particular – called DENND1B – that was associated with a higher body mass in the labradors. And when they searched through a library of genetic information from thousands of humans, they discovered that the same gene was associated with a higher body mass in people, too.
Before this study of labrador genetics, Dr Raffan said, “no one suspected that gene had anything to do with obesity”.