A high body mass index ranked eleventh among the top causes of premature death in 2000. In 2021, it had risen to sixth, as reported in the esteemed Lancet journal’s Global Burden of Disease assessment.
There is a worldwide obesity problem, even as too many unfortunate people still die of starvation.
A sizeable worldwide analysis has shown that the number of deaths caused by obesity-related disorders, such as heart problems and stroke, has increased by 50% in the last 20 years.
Conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and type 2 diabetes were the leading causes of mortality among those who died from obesity.
However, according to the researchers, air pollution will have a greater impact on global illness burden than obesity even in 2021.
According to Dr. Michael Brauer, an adjunct professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), these risk factors are not only increasing in frequency among young individuals, but they also indicate that the population is becoming older and hence more prone to developing these disorders over time.
The Lancet released the study’s findings after reviewing data from 204 nations and territories between 1990 and 2021.
Smoking, low birthweight babies, and particulate matter air pollution all contributed to preterm births and the loss of healthy life years.
The researchers looked at a number of risk variables and determined that in 2021, air pollution, followed by hypertension and smoking, was the most significant contributor to the worldwide illness burden.
Unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing were the greatest threats to the health and early mortality of younger people (defined as those aged 14 and under), followed by low birthweight and preterm birth.
High blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood sugar, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were more significant predictors of mortality in the elderly.
Perhaps to blame are the increasing popularity of ultra-processed foods and the trend toward less active lives.
Between 2000 and 2021, the annual rise in the chance of an individual having a high body mass index was 1.8%.
According to the experts, life expectancy will likely continue rising, although at a slower pace, from 2022 to 2050.
