Key result
High BMI linked to ~154% rise in global deaths since 1990, driven primarily by CVD.
Observational
Yes
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The global health burden attributable to high BMI has significantly increased from 1990 to 2021, driven largely by population aging and rising rates of cardiovascular, diabetes, and kidney diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income regions.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of high body mass index (BMI) has been increasing over the past three decades, resulting in significant public health challenges. This study aims to comprehensively analyze global, regional, and national trends in death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: We utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease study to estimate deaths and DALYs linked to high BMI across 204 countries and territories. Temporal trends were analyzed by sex, age group, region, and Socio-demographic index (SDI). Decomposition analyses were conducted to assess the impact of demographic factors on BMI-related disease burden. All estimates are presented with 95% uncertainty interval (UI) to quantify statistical uncertainty. The autoregressive integrated moving average model was employed to project future trends to 2036. RESULTS: Globally, BMI-related deaths increased from 1.46 million (95% UI 0.72, 2.29) in 1990 to 3.71 million (95% UI 1.85, 5.66) in 2021. DALYs rose from 48 million (95% UI 21.2, 77.3) to 128.5 million (95% UI 56, 202.4) over the same period. Diabetes and kidney diseases have now overtaken cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of DALYs, despite cardiovascular diseases remain the major contributor to BMI-related deaths. They accounted for 82.01% of deaths and 73.91% of DALYs. Among the four regions with the highest SDI, three showed a decline in BMI-related deaths and DALYs, except for high-income North America. In contrast, low-SDI regions continued to face escalating health burdens. Population aging was a primary driver of the increasing burden, which made up 49.43% of the increase in deaths and 47.03% in DALYs. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing prevalence of high BMI has resulted in significant health burdens over the past three decades, with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and kidney diseases being primary contributors. Low- and middle-income regions bear a larger share of the burden, while population aging exacerbates these challenges. Developing equitable and effective public health strategies is essential for addressing the growing obesity epidemic.
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Xie et al. (2025) conducted an observational in High body mass index (BMI). High body mass index was evaluated on Deaths and DALYs attributable to high BMI. High body mass index was associated with an increase in global deaths from 1.46 million in 1990 to 3.71 million in 2021, driven largely by cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney diseases.
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