Sugar intake in the U.S. jumped from minimal levels in the 1800s to an average of 34 teaspoons per day, with ultraprocessed items now making up 60% of daily calories

Modern industrial life introduced 85,000-plus synthetic chemicals into our environment — pesticides, plastics and more — that contaminate our food, water and even human tissue

Only about 24.2% of U.S. adults meet federal exercise guidelines, while sedentary work, screen time and convenience technology have drastically reduced daily physical movement

Before electricity, people slept around nine hours a night. Today, artificial light, nighttime tech use and jam-packed schedules mean fewer hours of rest and disrupted circadian rhythms

Modern living has completely changed the way we eat, move and rest — and the consequences aren't looking good. Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders and obesity have skyrocketed, even though medical knowledge and health information are more accessible than ever. So, what happened?

Below, we'll explore how the replacement of natural fats with vegetable oils, the surge in refined sugar and ultraprocessed foods, rampant environmental toxins, the rise of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), sedentary lifestyles and chronic sleep deprivation all came together to undermine our well-being.

Why Did Natural Fats Get Replaced by Vegetable Oils?

For thousands of years, humans cooked with stable animal fats like butter, lard and tallow.1 That changed dramatically in the 1900s when industrially processed vegetable oils (also called seed oils) took center stage, partly due to aggressive marketing campaigns that demonized animal fats.

• Skyrocketing omega-6 intake — By 2023 to 2024, global vegetable oil consumption exceeded 200 million metric tons, more than an eightfold increase since 1961.2,3 In the U.S., soybean oil is the top choice, accounting for over 12 million metric tons of edible oil consumption annually.4

• Distorted fat ratios — Historically, humans ate roughly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fats (1:1). Modern diets shifted this ratio to 20:1, with linoleic acid (the main omega-6 in seed oils) now making up 25% of total daily calories in Western diets.5,6

• Chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction — Excess linoleic acid oxidizes easily, damaging cells and impairing mitochondrial function. This triggers chronic inflammation, a key driver of metabolic disorders like obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.7

• Stored in body fat — LA's half-life in human tissue is around 600 to 680 days, meaning it can take years to lower your body's linoleic acid levels even if you cut out seed oils today.8