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. 2024 Sep 24:76:102848.
doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102848. eCollection 2024 Oct.

Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Xiao-Dong Zhou  1 , Qin-Fen Chen  2 , Wah Yang  3 , Mauricio Zuluaga  4 , Giovanni Targher  5   6 , Christopher D Byrne  7 , Luca Valenti  8   9 , Fei Luo  10 , Christos S Katsouras  11 , Omar Thaher  12 , Anoop Misra  13 , Karim Ataya  14 , Rodolfo J Oviedo  15 , Alice Pik-Shan Kong  16   17 , Khalid Alswat  18 , Amedeo Lonardo  19 , Yu Jun Wong  20   21 , Adam Abu-Abeid  22 , Hazem Al Momani  23 , Arshad Ali  24 , Gabriel Alejandro Molina  25 , Olivia Szepietowski  26 , Nozim Adxamovich Jumaev  27 , Mehmet Celal Kızılkaya  28 , Octavio Viveiros  29 , Carlos Jesus Toro-Huamanchumo  30   31   32 , Kenneth Yuh Yen Kok  33 , Oral Ospanov  34 , Syed Imran Abbas  35 , Andrew Gerard Robertson  36 , Yasser Fouad  37 , Christos S Mantzoros  38   39 , Huijie Zhang  40 , Nahum Méndez-Sánchez  41 , Silvia Sookoian  42   43   44 , Wah-Kheong Chan  45 , Sombat Treeprasertsuk  46 , Leon Adams  47   48 , Ponsiano Ocama  49 , John D Ryan  50 , Nilanka Perera  51 , Ala I Sharara  52 , Said A Al-Busafi  53 , Christopher Kenneth Opio  54 , Manuel Garcia  55 , Michelle Ching Lim-Loo  56 , Elena Ruiz-Úcar  57 , Arun Prasad  58 , Anna Casajoana  59 , Tamer N Abdelbaki  60 , Ming-Hua Zheng  61   62
Affiliations

Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Xiao-Dong Zhou et al. EClinicalMedicine. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum: Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.
    Zhou XD, Chen QF, Yang W, Zuluaga M, Targher G, Byrne CD, Valenti L, Luo F, Katsouras CS, Thaher O, Misra A, Ataya K, Oviedo RJ, Pik-Shan Kong A, Alswat K, Lonardo A, Wong YJ, Abu-Abeid A, Al Momani H, Ali A, Molina GA, Szepietowski O, Jumaev NA, Kızılkaya MC, Viveiros O, Toro-Huamanchumo CJ, Yen Kok KY, Ospanov O, Abbas SI, Robertson AG, Fouad Y, Mantzoros CS, Zhang H, Méndez-Sánchez N, Sookoian S, Chan WK, Treeprasertsuk S, Adams L, Ocama P, Ryan JD, Perera N, Sharara AI, Al-Busafi SA, Opio CK, Garcia M, Lim-Loo MC, Ruiz-Úcar E, Prasad A, Casajoana A, Abdelbaki TN, Zheng MH. Zhou XD, et al. EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Nov 21;78:102958. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102958. eCollection 2024 Dec. EClinicalMedicine. 2024. PMID: 39640937 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Background: Obesity represents a major global health challenge with important clinical implications. Despite its recognized importance, the global disease burden attributable to high body mass index (BMI) remains less well understood.

Methods: We systematically analyzed global deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to high BMI using the methodology and analytical approaches of the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021. High BMI was defined as a BMI over 25 kg/m2 for individuals aged ≥20 years. The Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) was used as a composite measure to assess the level of socio-economic development across different regions. Subgroup analyses considered age, sex, year, geographical location, and SDI.

Findings: From 1990 to 2021, the global deaths and DALYs attributable to high BMI increased more than 2.5-fold for females and males. However, the age-standardized death rates remained stable for females and increased by 15.0% for males. Similarly, the age-standardized DALY rates increased by 21.7% for females and 31.2% for males. In 2021, the six leading causes of high BMI-attributable DALYs were diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, chronic kidney disease, low back pain and stroke. From 1990 to 2021, low-middle SDI countries exhibited the highest annual percentage changes in age-standardized DALY rates, whereas high SDI countries showed the lowest.

Interpretation: The worldwide health burden attributable to high BMI has grown significantly between 1990 and 2021. The increasing global rates of high BMI and the associated disease burden highlight the urgent need for regular surveillance and monitoring of BMI.

Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key R&D Program of China.

Keywords: Body mass index; Global Burden of Disease Study; Metabolic risk; Obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Christopher D. Byrne has received grant support from Echosens. Ming-Hua Zheng has received honoraria for lectures from AstraZeneca, Hisky Medical Technologies and Novo Nordisk, consulting fees from Boehringer Ingelheim. Anoop Misra has received honoraria from Novo Nordisk, AstraZendeca, Janssen, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Wah-Kheong Chan is a consultant or advisory board member for Abbott, Roche, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim and Novo Nordisk; and a speaker for Abbott, Novo Nordisk, Echosens, Viatris and Hisky Medical. No other disclosures were reported; John D. Ryan received consultancy fees from Falk, Gilead, Pfizer and a speaker honorarium from Takeda. Christos S. Mantzoros reports grants through his institution from Merck, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and Boehringer Ingelheim, has received grants through his Institution and personal consulting fees from Coherus Inc. and AltrixBio, he reports personal consulting fees and support with research reagents from Ansh Inc., collaborative research support from LabCorp Inc., reports personal consulting fees from Olympus, Genfit, Lumos, Novo Nordisk, Amgen, Biodexa, Laekna, Corcept, Intercept, 89 Bio, Madrigal, Aligos, Esperion and Regeneron, travel support and fees from UptoDate, TMIOA, Elsevier, and the Cardio Metabolic Health Conference. The other authors report no disclosure.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Temporal trend of death numbers and rates attributable to high BMI by females and males from 1990 to 2021; (B) Temporal trend of DALYs numbers and rates attributable to high BMI by females and males from 1990 to 2021; (C) Death numbers and rates attributable to high BMI by sex and age distribution; (D) DALYs numbers and rates attributable to high BMI by sex and age distribution. Abbreviations: DALYs, deaths and disability-adjusted life years.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A) Temporal trend of the number of deaths by GBD level 2 causes attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021; (B) Temporal trend of the contribution of GBD level 2 causes for deaths attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021; (C) Temporal trend of the number of DALYs attributable to high BMI by GBD level 2 causes from 1990 to 2021; (D) Temporal trend of the contribution of GBD level 2 causes for DALYs attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021. Abbreviations: DALYs, deaths and disability-adjusted life years; GBD, global burden of disease study.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
(A) Temporal trend of age-standardized death rates attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021 globally and regionally; (B) Temporal trend of age-standardized DALYs rates attributable to high BMI from 1990 to 2021 globally and regionally. Abbreviations: DALYs, deaths and disability-adjusted life years; SDI, Socio-demographic Index.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
(A) Age-standardized DALY rates attributable to high BMI in 2021; (B) Age-standardized DALYs rates attributable to high BMI in 2021. Abbreviations: BMI, high body mass index; DALYs, deaths and disability-adjusted life years.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
(A) Age-standardized DALYs rates attributable to high BMI across GBD super-region by SDI from 1990 to 2021; (B) Age-standardized DALYs rates attributable to high BMI across 204 countries and territories by SDI in 2021 Abbreviations: DALYs, deaths and disability-adjusted life years; GBD, global burden of disease study; SDI, Socio-demographic Index.
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