A new report from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, shows the escalating health challenges seen by metabolic risk factors
These include high systolic blood pressure (SBP), high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high body mass index (BMI), high LDL cholesterol, and kidney dysfunction, which are becoming increasingly common due to ageing populations and changing lifestyles worldwide.
The sharp increase in DALYs
The study reveals a 49.4% increase in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to metabolic risk factors from 2000 to 2021. DALYs represent the years of healthy life lost due to poor health and early death.
This sharp rise highlights the growing impact of conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, particularly among individuals aged 15-49, where high BMI and high FPG have become significant contributors to poor health.
“Though metabolic in nature, developing these risk factors can often be influenced by various lifestyle factors, especially among younger generations” explained Dr. Michael Brauer, Affiliate Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “They also are indicative of an ageing population that is more likely to develop these conditions with time. “
The GBD 2021 analysis provides estimates of the disease burden from 88 risk factors across 204 countries from 1990 to 2021. For the first time, it incorporates IHME’s new burden of proof methodology, which evaluates the evidence linking risk factors to health outcomes.
This new approach helps prioritise actions and highlights areas needing further research.
Contributing factors to DALYs
Beyond metabolic issues, the study also points to particulate matter air pollution, smoking, low birthweight and short gestation as major contributors to DALYs in 2021, with variations across different ages, sexes, and regions.
Despite these challenges, there have been significant efforts to reduce the disease burden linked to maternal and child health, unsafe water, sanitation, and household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels.
“Risk factors that currently lead to ill health, such as obesity and other components of metabolic syndrome, exposure to ambient particulate matter air pollution, and tobacco use, must be addressed via a combination of global health policy efforts and exposure reduction to mitigate health risks and improve population health,” said Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at IHME.
Dr Greg Roth, Director of the Program in Cardiovascular Health Metrics at IHME, emphasised the need for interventions targeting obesity and metabolic syndromes, given the rising exposure to risk factors like high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
While the study reveals progress in areas like maternal and child health, significant challenges remain in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of the Middle East. These areas still face high disease burdens related to child and maternal malnutrition, despite global improvements.
The impact of smoking has moderately increased due to population ageing, even though exposure has declined.
Diseases linked to ambient air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP have surged, reflecting increased exposure and an ageing global population.
