Obesity claimed 160 million years of life in 2019

Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) reports, researchers at the National University of Singapore and colleagues from the US and China conducted a two-decade metabolic analysis. Their research has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Researchers in this study intended to provide insights into the patterns and burden of metabolic disorders since they are so intimately interconnected, whereas earlier studies using GBD data have concentrated on the rising number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years in specific diseases.

It can be difficult to put a number on what makes for a long, happy life, but preventing mortality must be a top priority. It’s far simpler to comprehend what ends a life, happy or not.

A group of more than 9,000 researchers from 162 nations and territories gathers and examine the GBD. According to age and sex, the data from 1990 to the present include early death and disability from 370 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories. In other words, the GBD report thoroughly outlines the causes of death and disability across nations, eras, age groups, and sexes. With this knowledge, patients, doctors, and policymakers can choose the best course of action for their health in order to prolong their lives.

The multinational research team compared GBD statistics from 2000 to 2019 and discovered that rates have risen for all metabolic disorders, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. These illnesses are centered on mechanisms affecting insulin resistance associated with obesity, glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, pro-inflammatory immune cells, and cytokines. The risk of premature death, cancer, and disability is enhanced by metabolic illnesses, which frequently co-occur and share risk factors.

Countries with high averages in income, educational attainment, and fertility rates had the greatest increases in illness burden. Nonetheless, despite these factors, a global increasing trend was seen.

The study’s Eastern Mediterranean regions had the highest rate of mortality from metabolic disorders, followed by nations with lower averages for income, education, and fertility. Mortality rates for high cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and liver disease reduced although rates of metabolic disease were on the rise.

Highlights from the story

From 2000 to 2019, the death rate attributable to obesity did not vary considerably, remaining the highest among the disorders examined. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), a measure of years lost owing to premature mortality, increased by 0.48% annually, accounting for 160.2 million years of life lost in 2019 alone.

The fatality rates from type 2 diabetes were likewise steady between 2000 and 2019, yet there was a global increase of 1.56% per year.

There were 6.6 million years of life lost (DALYs) in 2019 related to type 2 diabetes, with 0.77% yearly increases from 2000 to 2019.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related deaths went down 0.63% yearly, yet rates of the disease increased 0.83% annually, with 4.4 million years of life lost (DALYs) in 2019.

The analysis shows that while death rates are stagnant or decreasing, disease acquisition is trending higher globally. The researchers conclude in their paper that “Urgent attention is needed to address the unchanging mortality rates attributed to metabolic disease and the entrenched sex-regional-socioeconomic disparities in mortality.”

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