Nutritional burden from the global burden of disease

Nutritional deficiencies remain a severe public health burden worldwide. They include some deficiencies and can lead to protein-energy malnutrition. Recent data has showed that inapprioprate nutrition and diet might be responsible for several milion deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. Thus, we aimed to determined the incidence rate of and DALYs due to nutritional deficiencies in 204 countries and territories.

We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to calculate the incidence rates of and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to nutritional deficiencies in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.

During this period, the age-standardized incidence rate of nutritional deficiencies remained stable globally (EAPC = -0.05; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.20 to 0.09) and increased the most in high-middle-sociodemographic-index (SDI) areas. In addition, at the region level, from 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence rate of nutritional deficiencies increased the most in South Asia, whereas at the country level, it increased the most in Czechia (EAPC = 1.81) and Turkey (EAPC = 1.45). Furthermore, from 1990 to 2019, the global age-standardized DALY rates due to nutritional deficiencies decreased (EAPC = -2.91), especially in East Asia, Andean Latin America, and Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa.

From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence rate of and DALY rates due to nutritional deficiencies remained high in low-middle- and low-SDI areas, and Southeast Asia, Czechia, and Turkey had the highest levels of nutritional deficiencies.