The broadcaster will deliver the prestigious Wooldridge Memorial Lecture.
University of Cambridge professor and broadcaster Dr Giles Yeo MBE will headline BVA Congress at London Vet Show this year, with a lecture on the genetics of obesity.
Dr Yeo is 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.
He is best known for his appearances on BBC’s Horizon and Trust me, I’m a Doctor, and is the author of two books: Gene Eating: The Story Of Human Appetite and Why Calories Don't Count. He also hosts the podcast, Dr Giles Yeo Chews The Fat.
A recent study by Dr Yeo and his colleagues at Cambridge pinpointed a genetic mutation in Labrador Retrievers that significantly increases their propensity for obesity and food motivation. 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.
Their findings revealed the mutation is present in about 25 per cent of Labradors and 66 per cent of flat-coated retrievers, and is also more common in assistance dogs than pet Labradors.
Dr Giles’ talk will set out the evidence for a genetic basis to body weight. He will also explore the role of the leptin-melanocortin pathway in both dog and human obesity, and its conservation through evolution.
Professor Yeo said:“It is clear that the cause of obesity is a result of eating more than you burn. It is physics. What is more complex to answer is why some people eat more than others? Differences in our genetic make-up mean some of us are slightly more hungry all the time and so eat more than others.
“I will highlight the fat-sensing 'leptin-melanocortin' pathway, as a key appetite control circuit. 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. People who are obese are not bad or lazy; rather, they are fighting their biology.”
BVA President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “Having heard Dr Yeo speak on this fascinating topic once before, I’m delighted that we can offer him this opportunity to share the results and ramifications of his ground-breaking research with the veterinary audience. I’m sure our BVA Congress delegates will appreciate both Dr Yeo’s scientific knowledge and his dynamic delivery style and I’m personally looking forward to learning more about this exciting topic.”
The genetics of obesity: Can an old dog teach us new tricks?, will take place on Friday 21 November between 11am and 12.15pm in the BVA Congress Theatre.
Image (C) BVA.
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