The number of people experiencing poor health and early death due to metabolism-related risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high body mass index (BMI), has risen significantly since 2000, according to the latest findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, published in The Lancet.
The study reveals a 49.4% increase in global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or years of healthy life lost due to poor health and early death, attributable to these risk factors from 2000 to 2021. This increase highlights the consequences of an aging population and changing lifestyles worldwide.
High systolic blood pressure (SBP), high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high BMI, high LDL cholesterol, and kidney dysfunction are among the key metabolism-related risk factors identified. These conditions have become more prevalent among individuals aged 15–49, with high BMI and high FPG being the primary contributors to ill health in this age group. The rise in these risk factors raises the risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Dr. Michael Brauer, Affiliate Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), noted that lifestyle factors play a significant role in the development of these metabolic risk factors, particularly among younger generations. He also emphasized the impact of an aging population, which is more likely to develop these conditions over time.
The GBD 2021 analysis provides comprehensive estimates of the disease burden associated with 88 risk factors across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. This study introduces IHME's new burden of proof methodology, which rigorously evaluates the evidence linking risk factors to diseases and injuries, offering a new perspective on prioritizing health actions and research areas.
In addition to metabolic risk factors, the study identifies particulate matter, air pollution, smoking, low birthweight, and short gestation as significant contributors to DALYs in 2021. These findings show substantial variation across different ages, sexes, and locations.
Significant progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden from risk factors linked to maternal and child health, unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing, and household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels between 2000 and 2021. Declines in the global disease burden associated with child and maternal malnutrition risk factors, such as child growth failure and low birthweight, were also reported.
Despite global declines, the burden of disease attributable to child and maternal malnutrition remains high in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. The study shows that the disease burden linked to unsafe water sources, unsafe sanitation, and a lack of access to handwashing facilities has also decreased significantly.
However, the burden attributable to smoking has risen moderately due to the aging population, even though exposure to this risk factor has declined. Similarly, the disease burden tied to ambient particulate air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP has increased substantially as people’s exposure to these risk factors has grown and populations have aged.
The GBD forecasting analysis for 204 countries from 2022 to 2050, also released in The Lancet, indicates that global life expectancy is likely to increase during this period. This report underscores the urgent need for interventions targeting obesity and metabolic syndromes to mitigate health risks and improve population health.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, which coordinates the GBD study, aims to provide timely and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. The GBD 2021 study, involving over 11,000 collaborators from more than 160 countries, includes more than 607 billion estimates of 371 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)
