Blame it on the Genes: Why Labrador's are Always Hungry

     Labrador Retrievers are known for their love for food which causes them to be overweight. A study published on March 6th discovered why some labs are more likely to be overweight than others. The researchers found that genes play a huge role in why most labs are obese. In the past, researchers identified a gene called POMC, this gene makes some labs more likely to over eat, but its not that simple. Scientists studied 241 British Labs, looking at their DNA, body condition, behaviors with food, and how we could manage their weight/diet. There is another gene other than POMC that is liked to obesity in labs called the DENND1B. The labs that had the DENND1B gene contained around 8% more of body fat compared to the labs lacking that gene. This gene not only plays a role in dog obesity but humans as well, impacting how the brain responds to food. Researchers used the information they gathered from the study and created the "risk score",  which helped predict how much more likely a lab is to become overweight. The dogs that were always begging for food, getting into human food, and or just obsessing over food were the dogs with "obesity-prone" genes. There are ways to help the dogs that struggle with their weight, such as strict feeding schedules and not giving them table food. You don't need to pay a bunch of money to genetically test your dog for these genes- just paying attention to their behaviors with food can tell you a lot. 

    Working at a vet hospital, I really do see more overweight labs than any other breed. Not only are they beggars but they're notorious for eating foreign objects. It's really interesting to see how genetics gives us an explanation for why so many labs are relentless when it comes to food. I think it's important for everyone, not just people who work in the veterinary field to know there is gene like DEEND1B making labs biologically more food driven. It helps us be more empathetic towards owners that are truly trying to put their dogs on diets and stick to a feeding schedule. There are resources that can help guide owners when it comes to putting their dog on a diet to better maintain a healthy lifestyle for them. 

Many Labradors Become Obese and Research Shows Why

 

In a recent study at University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience conducted on one of Americas most popular dog breeds, the Labrador Retriever a closer look into there genes has shown that obesity is a genetic issue not necessarily lifestyle. A genetic mutation can be found in some members of this breeds genetic make up that not only makes them feel hungrier all the time but it also makes it so they burn fewer calories. 

The genetic mutation discovered is found on the gene known as POMC. This gene is responsible for hunger signals and energy usage. In this study 25% of Labradors and 66% of flat coated retrievers were found to have the POMC mutation. It was shown that dog with the mutation are prone to overeating more, and it also shown that dogs with this mutation burn 25% less energy then dogs without it. 

The mutation which effects the POMC gene prohibits the dogs ability to produce two chemical messengers, one being beta-melanocyte stimulating hormone (β-MSH) and the other being beta-endorphin, these are both important in determining hunger and moderating energy use in the dog. 

This study consisted of 87 Labradors all who were either at a healthy weight or were entering being overweight. These dog were fed canned dog food every 20 minutes. Now all these dogs ate relatively the same amount proving that dogs with mutation have the ability to feel full. On another day of the study these dogs were fed breakfast then 3 hours later offered a container with food in it which allowed the dogs to see and smell the food but not access it. Dogs with this mutation tried significantly harder then those without it. This indicated that dogs with this mutation become hungrier between meals. The last phase of this study was having the dogs sleep in a specialized chamber which allowed the gases exhaled to be measured and analyze metabolism. Dogs who has the POMC mutation burned 25% fewer calories. 

 This study helps provide insight on how to help maintain healthy weight. Currently no medication are available for dogs with this mutation but the use of probiotics and calorie monitoring has shown to be effective in preventing obesity.  

I think this study is a big breakthrough, as someone who works in the veterinary medicine field I have seen so many owners struggle with their Labradors weight. I have had owners tell me there dog can eat forever or they are always hungry. Obesity leads to so many health issues in dogs so having a study to figure out what factors play a role in common dog breed obesity cases is crucial in preventing it. 

Links: 

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-03-07/many-labradors-become-obese-and-research-shows-why

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240306150433.htm#:~:text=The%20mutation%20is%20in%20a,food%20and%20risk%20of%20obesity.

Of Canines and Obesity

Many people in the United States own dogs, and much of the time, regular exercise and walks keep these dogs filled with energy, playing with and following their owners with vigor. However, just like humans, dogs can become lethargic and eat too much, becoming overweight and not wanting to move much at all. The dog breed that seems to have the most trouble with this specific problem is one of the more popular breeds in the United States, the Labrador retriever.

Researchers from the Cambridge University labs has concluded that this abnormality is due to a DNA variation that keeps the brain from sending signals to the body that it is satisfied. Most of the time, when animals eat food, receptors in their brain make sure to activate when too much food enters the body. This sometimes manifests into a stomach ache to warn the body that the amount of food is excess, or in a more extreme case, send a message to the body to throw up to get rid of said excess food. However, in some animals like the Labrador retriever, the receptors are damaged by a gene variation, and up to 23% of all Labrador retrievers have at least one copy of this variation.

This gene being affected is called pro-opiomelanocortinm or POMC for short, and it codes for a protein of the same name.This gene controls hunger and fullness, and a variation can cause a delay or absence of feeling full. According to the article "the brains of Labrador retrievers may be hard wired for obesity," but as Eleanor Raffan, the author of the journal Cell Metabolism, says, it's "not a straight forward picture." What is straightforward is that when numerous dogs were studies and had their behavior profiles analyzed, it was discovered that in the POMC, there was a deletion of the 14th base pair resulted in a β-MSH and β-endorphin break, and that break is related to fat creation and increased body weight. In an interesting turn of events, most of the endorphin breaks happened in service dog, which prompted scientists to learn more about the gene so that they could try and find a connection between humans and dogs in terms of the POMC gene, since both species have the variation in slightly different forms.

Finding out if the genes in Labrador retrievers correspond to human genes would be very beneficial to human health because scientists can see what happens in human minds to trigger people to eat more then they should, and if they can isolate and fix the gene, or at least keep tabs on it, then work for a cure to obesity could be in the works, and that project would be worthwhile to the entirety of human health, as well as animal health if the Labrador genes are isolated and studied too.