A shocking revelation from Dr. Mark Hyman’s tweet exposes the devastating state of health in the United States: 73% of adults over 20 are overweight or obese, and 38% of youth between 12 and 19 are pre-diabetic. To put it into perspective, when he graduated from medical school, pre-diabetes in youth was virtually non-existent.

This staggering rise in metabolic disorders isn’t just a coincidence. It’s the direct result of decades of misguided nutrition policies, the industrialization of food, and a broken healthcare system that prioritizes medication over prevention.

How did we get here? Why are millions of Americans—especially young people—developing chronic diseases at alarming rates? And most importantly, how do we reverse this epidemic?

Let’s break it all down.

How Did We Get Here? The Root Causes of the Health Epidemic

1. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is a Metabolic Disaster
The biggest driver of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction is the modern Western diet, which is packed with processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and seed oils.

💀 Ultra-processed foods make up over 60% of the American diet. These foods are designed to be addictive, hyper-palatable, and cheap, but they are nutritionally empty.

💀 Sugar consumption is off the charts. The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar per day, far exceeding the recommended daily intake. Excessive sugar intake leads to insulin resistance, weight gain, and metabolic disease.

💀 Refined grains and seed oils are replacing real food. Processed grains like white flour and industrial seed oils (canola, soybean, corn oil) have flooded the food supply. These inflammatory, nutrient-devoid ingredients wreak havoc on metabolic health.

Instead of nourishing our bodies with whole, nutrient-dense foods, we’re consuming chemically engineered, ultra-processed garbage.

2. The Food Industry Profits From Making People Sick
The rise in obesity and diabetes isn’t an accident—it’s the result of an industry built on profit, not health.

Big Food companies spend billions marketing ultra-processed foods while lobbying against policies that promote real, whole foods. They create hyper-palatable, addictive products loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, and unhealthy fats.

💰 Processed foods are cheap to make and highly profitable. It’s far more lucrative to sell a box of sugary cereal than it is to sell pasture-raised eggs or grass-fed beef.

💰 Junk food companies target children. From cereal commercials to fast food toys, kids are bombarded with messages that encourage them to develop lifelong junk food habits.

💰 Government subsidies fuel the problem. The U.S. government heavily subsidizes corn, wheat, and soy— the main ingredients in junk food. Meanwhile, nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed meat, organic vegetables, and wild-caught fish remain expensive.

This is not about personal responsibility—it’s about a system designed to keep people addicted to cheap, ultra-processed food.

3. The Medical System Treats Symptoms, Not Root Causes
While food companies profit from making people sick, Big Pharma profits from keeping them sick.

🚨 Instead of addressing the root cause of obesity and diabetes (diet and lifestyle), the healthcare system is designed to prescribe drugs as a Band-Aid solution.

🚨 The average pre-diabetic patient is told to “watch their sugar intake” and take medication, rather than being guided on proper nutrition and lifestyle changes.

🚨 Statins, insulin, and blood pressure medications are handed out like candy, while food as medicine is ignored in medical schools.

Doctors are trained to manage disease, not prevent it. This is why most people are caught in an endless cycle of medication, weight gain, and declining health.

Why Are So Many Young People Developing Pre-Diabetes?
The most alarming part of Dr. Hyman’s tweet is that 38% of youth between 12 and 19 are now pre-diabetic. This used to be unheard of.

Why is this happening?

1️⃣ Ultra-Processed Diets Start Early – Kids today are growing up on sugary cereals, fast food, and processed snacks. Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last few decades.

2️⃣ Sedentary Lifestyles – Many kids today spend more time on screens than playing outside. This lack of movement reduces insulin sensitivity, increases fat storage, and promotes metabolic dysfunction.

3️⃣ Poor Sleep & Stress – Sleep deprivation and stress increase cortisol, which promotes insulin resistance and fat gain. Teens today are chronically sleep-deprived and dealing with unprecedented stress levels.

4️⃣ Toxic Food Environment – Junk food is everywhere. Schools serve processed cafeteria meals, vending machines are loaded with sugary snacks, and fast food is the default meal for many families.

This generation is being set up for failure.

How Do We Reverse the Epidemic?
The good news is that obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction are largely preventable and reversible. But it requires breaking free from the mainstream nutrition myths and making radical changes.

1. Ditch Processed Foods
Eliminate ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and refined carbs. Instead, focus on real, whole foods like:

✔ Grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, wild-caught fish
✔ Organic vegetables and fruits
✔ Healthy fats (olive oil, butter, coconut oil)
✔ Nuts, seeds, and fermented foods

If a food comes in a box with an ingredient list, it’s probably not real food.

2. Cut Out Sugar & Processed Seed Oils
🍬 Sugar is the biggest driver of insulin resistance. Avoid sodas, candy, processed cereals, and anything with added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

🌿 Seed oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil fuel inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Switch to butter, tallow, olive oil, or avocado oil instead.

3. Prioritize Protein & Healthy Fats
Protein and fat are the most satiating, nutrient-dense macronutrients. Instead of eating carb-heavy meals, build your plate around protein and healthy fats.

💪 Good protein sources – Grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, pastured eggs, organic chicken
🥑 Healthy fats – Avocados, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, animal fats

4. Move More, Sleep Better, Stress Less
💪 Exercise daily – Strength training and walking improve insulin sensitivity.
🛌 Prioritize sleep – Lack of sleep increases hunger hormones and insulin resistance.
🧘 Manage stress – Chronic stress leads to cortisol spikes, sugar cravings, and weight gain.

Final Thoughts: The Time to Act is NOW
The modern food system is broken. The fact that 73% of adults are overweight and nearly 40% of teens are pre-diabetic should be a wake-up call.

We are not dealing with a genetic epidemic—we are dealing with a food and lifestyle crisis. The sooner we recognize that Big Food and Big Pharma do not have our best interests at heart, the sooner we can reclaim our health.

The solution is simple—but not easy: Eat real food, move your body, prioritize sleep, and reject the processed food industry’s lies.

Will we continue down this path of disease and dependency? Or will we take back control of our health? The choice is ours.