A long time ago, almost no one got heart attacks, cancer, or diabetes—but now lots of people do.

Scientific Claim

Pre-20th century human populations exhibited prevalence rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes below 1–5%, coinciding with minimal consumption of industrially processed seed oils.

Original Statement

“Before 1900, cancer rates were less than 5%. Obesity and diabetes were under 1%. And heart attacks, get this, they literally did not exist. Before 1912, there is zero record of a heart attack ever occurring in the United States.”

From video:NEVER Cook Meat In These 5 TOXIC Fats!byMax German

Context Details

Domain

oncology

Population

human

Subject

pre-20th century human populations

Action

exhibited low prevalence of chronic diseases

Target

cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes

Intervention Details

Type: diet

Dosage: not specified

Duration: pre-1900

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

A moderate lard-included diet reduces fat deposition and inflammation in the adipose tissue

Cohort Study

Animal

2025 Dec 12

This study found that in mice, a little bit of lard (pig fat) was better for fat levels than some plant oils—but it didn’t study ancient humans or processed oils, so it doesn’t prove the claim about old diets being healthier.

Similar Assertions

The introduction of industrial seed oils into the American food supply coincided temporally with the emergence and exponential rise in recorded cases of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.

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As Americans started eating more processed vegetable oils, rates of insulin resistance and diabetes went up at almost the same time—this timing suggests the two might be connected.

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The historical incidence of acute myocardial infarction in the United States was negligible prior to the widespread introduction of industrial seed oils in the early 20th century.

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Prior to the widespread consumption of industrial seed oils and refined carbohydrates in the early 20th century, clinical cases of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were exceptionally rare in human populations consuming diets high in animal fats.

72%