Inflammation Largely Caused By Modern Lifestyle (and It May Be Preventable) by Jacob Teitelbaum

Fighting inflammation? Research published on June 30, 2025, in the esteemed journal Nature suggests that inflammation, which is estimated to contribute to 80 percent of major diseases and over 50 percent of deaths, is largely caused by modern living.

The Nature study compared inflammation blood markers in two industrialized countries, Italy and Singapore, with two indigenous, non-industrialized populations, the Tsimane from the Bolivian Amazon and the Orang Asli from Peninsular Malaysia.

The findings revolutionize our understanding of inflammation, lifestyle and disease prevention. The increase in inflammatory markers normally seen with aging were not found in the non-industrialized populations. This means that the "normally" increased inflammation to which we attribute much of aging and its associated illnesses comes from our modern lifestyle. The big takeaway is that inflammation and the illnesses it causes or exacerbates are largely preventable!

Such findings are nothing new. Landmark research conducted decades ago and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition traced the origins and evolution of the Western diet and health implications for the 21st Century. Research by Harvard anthropologists Daniel Lieberman and Christina Warinner highlighted the evolutionary mismatch between our ancient genome and the foods that have become staples in the modern, industrialized world.

I suggest the following simple tips to effectively decrease inflammation:

1. Decrease sugar intake.
2. Switch from white flour to whole grains.
3. Increase omega-3 oil intake to where it was for most of human history by eating more fish and switching from grain-fed to pasture-fed beef. (Check out these delicious fish recipes.)
   

Other research published on June 17, 2025, in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage shows that traditional anti-inflammatory herbs, curcumin and boswellia, were more effective than placebo for treating arthritis, a common form of inflammation. Multiple head-on studies from the past also showed that a highly absorbed form of this herbal combination was as effective as the prescription COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex, and without the increased risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney damage.

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Major drivers of our most prevalent and deadly modern illnesses – including heart attack, stroke, cancer, pain and dementia – have been shown to include excess inflammation and nutritional deficiencies caused in large part by the Standard American Diet (SAD). Tweaking the diet toward less inflammation is easily within everyone’s reach. It does not mean austerity, just wiser choices. And the benefits to health and longevity are immense.

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