Modern Living: The Silent Sabotage of Our Health - AI Podcast

Story at-a-glance Switching from butter, lard and tallow to seed oils (like soybean, corn and canola) drastically increased omega-6 consumption, fueling inflammation and metabolic dysfunction 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