New diabetes-related gene research on humans has shown for the first time that the over-consumption of calories resulting in being overweight induces changes in gene expression in your muscles that result in a decreased genetic ability to burn calories. Unfortunately, this is incredibly bad news. And on the other hand, it can be viewed as self-empowering.

While it takes tens of thousands of years for true genetic adaptation to take place, it is also clear that genes are very pliable over the shorter duration. Any person should strive to maintain optimal health so as not to manifest genetic weak spots.

The field of epigenetics deals with the changes in gene expression based on environmental influences. In the case of obesity and type II diabetes, we already have data that the health of grandma (which influences egg-related gene programming in all the eggs of her daughters) and the mother's nutritional status during pregnancy (now called fetal programming), have profound influence on software-like gene programming. These setting of the gene switches can readily influence the risk for later life obesity and type II diabetes in anyone.

This new study is the first to show that your own overeating can actually change gene settings in your muscles so that you don't burn calories properly or at an optimal rate. The researchers found evidence that the epigenetic changes were taking place in pre-diabetics and were worse in diabetics.

The researchers found that higher circulating levels of the inflammatory signal TNFa and increased levels of free fatty acids, both common in people who are overweight, act to change the gene settings that lock in poor calorie burning.

Changing gene settings is a serious problem, as these programs control how your body works. It is obvious that this is a self defense mechanism so that muscles can reject all the extra calories coming at them. It is a clear example of how anyone can poison themselves with too much food, even if it is the finest quality food!

It is also obvious that this problem is better off prevented in the first place.

Realistically, this problem will take time to fix. Getting in a good weight loss pattern will lower TNFa and excess free fatty acids, thus taking the immediate stress off the muscle system. However, it will take a number of months or possibly years to change the gene settings.
This means that if you are good for a few months and then get off track you will quickly re-aggravate the improper gene settings and gain weight back.

This problem is fixable, but it will require you being very good for a very long time. Gone is the concept of a 21-day weight loss cure. The consequence of not taking this solution is to slide down a slippery-slope of poor gene function that locks in diseases of aging.