These mutations are linked to leanness and susceptibility to stress. So far, only a small percentage of pigs seem to be affected. But some researchers suspect the condition is becoming more common. Experts in human eating disorders are intrigued. Because pigs have similar body weights and digestive systems to people, they may provide valuable insights into these diseases.
Some scientists think the parallels are even closer.
Jane Guise, director of Cambac JMA Research, an independent veterinary science institute based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, notes that changes in pig housing on British farms, introduced to improve animal welfare, may have provided an environmental trigger that has made the problem worse. Since January, farmers have been banned from tethering pigs in individual stalls. But in group housing, where animals compete for access to the trough, thin sows are even less likely to get enough to eat. Researchers could use the skinny pigs as a way of testing new drugs to treat anorexia. Anorexic pigs have already been treated experimentally by giving a drug that raises levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.