Giles Yeo MBE, Cambridge Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, will deliver a lecture looking at the genetics of canine obesity on Friday 21st November, 11:00am to 12:15am, at BVA Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giles is the professor of molecular neuroendocrinology at the Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit and scientific director of the Genomics\/Transcriptomics Core at the University of Cambridge. <\/p>\n
He is a well-known broadcaster thanks to his appearances on programmes such as BBC\u2019s \u2018Horizon\u2019 and \u2018Trust me, I\u2019m a Doctor\u2019 and author of two books:\u00a0Gene Eating: The Story Of Human Appetite\u00a0and\u00a0Why Calories Don’t Count. <\/p>\n
He also hosts the podcast\u00a0Dr Giles Yeo Chews The Fat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giles and\u00a0his colleagues at the University of Cambridge recently identified a genetic mutation in Labrador retrievers that significantly increases their propensity for obesity and food motivation. <\/p>\n
This mutation, a 14-base pair deletion in the POMC gene, disrupts the production of beta-MSH and beta-endorphin, hormones involved in regulating appetite and energy balance. <\/p>\n
The study found this mutation is present in about 25% of Labradors and 66% of flat-coated retrievers, and is also more common in assistance dogs than pet Labradors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giles’ lecture: “The genetics of obesity: Can an old dog teach us new tricks?”\u00a0will lay out the evidence for a genetic basis to body weight and explore the role of the leptin-melanocortin pathway in both human and dog obesity, and its conservation through evolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giles\u00a0said:\u00a0\u201cIt is clear that the cause of obesity is a result of eating more than you burn. <\/p>\n
“It is physics.<\/p>\n
“What is more complex to answer is why some people eat more than others? <\/p>\n
“Differences in our genetic make-up mean some of us are slightly more hungry all the time and so eat more than others. <\/p>\n
“I will highlight the fat-sensing ‘leptin-melanocortin’ pathway, as a key appetite control circuit. <\/p>\n
“Not only is the pathway conserved in all mammals and many higher vertebrates, but genetic disruption of the pathway as an evolutionary strategy to influence feeding behaviour has also been conserved. In contrast to the prevailing view, obesity is not a choice.<\/p>\n
“People who are obese are not bad or lazy; rather, they are fighting their biology.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
British Veterinary Association President Elizabeth Mullineaux said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m sure our BVA Congress delegates will appreciate both Dr Yeo\u2019s scientific knowledge and his dynamic delivery style and I\u2019m personally looking forward to learning more about this exciting topic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n