Key Takeaways
- In the United States, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over was 42.4% in 2017–2018, with severe obesity at 9.2%.
- Globally, the prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, affecting over 650 million adults.
- Among U.S. children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, 19.7% had obesity in 2017–2018.
- The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults aged 20 and over with lower income was 44.8% in 2017–2018.
- Diets high in saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol by up to 15% in meta-analyses.
- Mediterranean diet reduces cardiovascular events by 30% in PREDIMED trial (n=7447).
- The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among U.S. adults aged 18+ was 11.6% (34.2 million) in 2021.
- Globally, 537 million adults had diabetes in 2021, projected to 783 million by 2045.
- High glycemic index diets increase type 2 diabetes risk by 40% in meta-analyses.
- Worldwide, diet causes 11 million deaths, with colorectal cancer comprising 8% of diet-attributable cases in 2017.
- Red meat intake >100g/day increases colorectal cancer risk by 17% per 100g.
- Processed meat consumption classified as Group 1 carcinogen, 18% higher colorectal cancer per 50g/day.
- Depression prevalence is 21% higher among those with poor diet quality.
- Mediterranean diet adherence reduces depressive symptoms by 33% in meta-analysis.
- Omega-3 supplementation (1-2g/day) lowers depression risk by 17%.
Unhealthy diets drive alarming global obesity and chronic disease rates.
Cancer
- Worldwide, diet causes 11 million deaths, with colorectal cancer comprising 8% of diet-attributable cases in 2017.
- Red meat intake >100g/day increases colorectal cancer risk by 17% per 100g.
- Processed meat consumption classified as Group 1 carcinogen, 18% higher colorectal cancer per 50g/day.
- High fiber diets (>30g/day) reduce colorectal cancer by 17% in meta-analysis.
- Dairy intake >400g/day lowers colorectal cancer risk by 13%.
- Folate intake >400mcg/day reduces colorectal adenomas by 20-30%.
- Alcohol >30g/day increases breast cancer risk by 9% per 10g.
- Soy isoflavones reduce breast cancer recurrence by 26% in meta-analysis.
- Cruciferous vegetables 3x/week lower prostate cancer risk by 24%.
- High glycemic load diets increase endometrial cancer by 28%.
- Mediterranean diet adherence reduces overall cancer risk by 10% in EPIC.
- Vitamin D >30ng/ml blood levels lower colorectal cancer mortality by 36%.
- Nuts daily intake reduces cancer mortality by 11% in NIH-AARP cohort.
- Omega-3 >0.25g/day lowers prostate cancer progression by 26%.
- Whole grains >90g/day reduce colorectal cancer by 17%.
- Fruit intake 5+ servings/day lowers lung cancer by 12% in never-smokers.
- Processed foods high intake increases overall cancer by 10% per 10% energy.
- Tea green 3+ cups/day reduces gastric cancer by 30%.
- Calcium >1000mg/day from diet lowers colorectal cancer by 15%.
- Obesity increases postmenopausal breast cancer risk by 20-40%.
- Low selenium status increases prostate cancer risk by 40%.
- Mushrooms frequent intake lowers breast cancer by 35% in Japanese cohort.
- High beta-carotene from veggies reduces esophageal cancer by 22%.
- In U.S., diet suboptimal contributes to 20% of cancers.
- Garlic >4.5g/day reduces stomach cancer by 40%.
- Low-carb diets may increase overall cancer mortality by 8%.
- In EPIC, flavanols from chocolate/tea lower cancer mortality by 10%.
Cancer Interpretation
Cardiovascular Disease
- The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults aged 20 and over with lower income was 44.8% in 2017–2018.
- Diets high in saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol by up to 15% in meta-analyses.
- Mediterranean diet reduces cardiovascular events by 30% in PREDIMED trial (n=7447).
- High sodium intake (>2g/day) linked to 1.65 million CVD deaths annually worldwide.
- Replacing 5% energy from saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats lowers CVD risk by 17%.
- In the U.S., poor diet contributes to 45% of CVD deaths.
- DASH diet lowers systolic blood pressure by 5-6 mmHg in hypertensives.
- Trans fat intake associated with 23% higher CVD risk per 2% energy increase.
- Fruit and vegetable intake of 5+ servings/day reduces stroke risk by 21%.
- Nut consumption (4 servings/week) reduces CVD mortality by 37% in meta-analysis.
- High glycemic load diets increase CHD risk by 14% in Nurses' Health Study.
- Omega-3 intake from fish reduces sudden cardiac death by 45% in physicians.
- Whole grain intake >3 servings/day lowers CVD risk by 22%.
- In EPIC cohort (n=385k), fiber intake >25g/day reduces CHD by 15%.
- Red meat consumption >0.5 servings/day increases CVD mortality by 23%.
- Plant-based diets reduce CVD risk by 32% in Adventist Health Study-2.
- Coffee intake 3-5 cups/day associated with 15% lower CVD risk.
- Low-fat dairy intake reduces stroke risk by 8% per serving in meta-analysis.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages >1/day increase CVD risk by 26%.
- In Framingham Heart Study, high folate intake lowers homocysteine, reducing CVD by 20%.
- Tea consumption >3 cups/day reduces MI risk by 21% in Dutch cohort.
- High processed meat intake linked to 42% higher CVD mortality.
- Legume intake 4x/week reduces CHD by 22% in meta-analysis.
- Vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) increases CVD risk by 30%.
- In U.S., diet-related CVD deaths: 318k in 2019.
- Potassium intake >3.5g/day lowers stroke risk by 24%.
- In PREDICT study, healthy diet score >50% reduces CVD events by 20%.
Cardiovascular Disease Interpretation
Diabetes
- The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among U.S. adults aged 18+ was 11.6% (34.2 million) in 2021.
- Globally, 537 million adults had diabetes in 2021, projected to 783 million by 2045.
- High glycemic index diets increase type 2 diabetes risk by 40% in meta-analyses.
- In Nurses' Health Study (n=165k), whole grains reduce T2D risk by 30% per 3 servings/day.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages daily intake raises T2D risk by 26%.
- Mediterranean diet lowers T2D incidence by 52% in PREDIMED-RevReDi trial.
- Fiber intake >25g/day reduces T2D risk by 19% in EPIC-InterAct.
- Red and processed meat >0.5 servings/day increases T2D by 19%.
- Nut consumption 5x/week lowers T2D risk by 27% in meta-analysis.
- Dairy intake (low-fat) reduces T2D risk by 13% per serving/day.
- In U.S., 90-95% of diabetes cases are type 2.
- Potato consumption frequent increases T2D risk by 33%.
- Omega-3 fatty acids reduce T2D incidence by 15% in meta-analysis.
- Coffee 4+ cups/day lowers T2D risk by 25%.
- Vitamin D supplementation reduces T2D progression by 15% in prediabetes.
- In Health Professionals Follow-up, trans fats increase T2D by 31% per 2% energy.
- Legumes 4x/week lower T2D risk by 23%.
- In China, 140 million adults with diabetes in 2021.
- High fructose intake from beverages raises T2D by 20-30%.
- Plant-based diets reduce T2D risk by 23% in EPIC-Oxford.
- Magnesium intake >320mg/day lowers T2D by 17%.
- In U.S. NHANES, ultra-processed foods >4 servings/day increase T2D odds by 60%.
- Berries frequent intake reduces T2D by 18% in Finnish cohort.
- Resistant starch intake improves glycemic control by 0.5% HbA1c in meta-analysis.
- In PREDIMED, olive oil extra virgin reduces T2D by 40%.
Diabetes Interpretation
Mental Health
- Depression prevalence is 21% higher among those with poor diet quality.
- Mediterranean diet adherence reduces depressive symptoms by 33% in meta-analysis.
- Omega-3 supplementation (1-2g/day) lowers depression risk by 17%.
- Folate deficiency (<200mcg/day) increases depression odds by 31%.
- High sugar intake (>25% calories) associated with 23% higher depression risk.
- B vitamins (B6,B9,B12) low levels raise depression by 20-30%.
- Probiotic-rich diets reduce anxiety symptoms by 25% in RCTs.
- Caffeine >200mg/day increases anxiety risk by 14%.
- In SMILES trial, diet intervention improved depression scores by 32%.
- Zinc deficiency linked to 30% higher depression prevalence.
- Plant-based diets lower depression odds by 15% in Australian cohort.
- Chocolate frequent intake reduces depression symptoms by 10%.
- Vitamin D <50 nmol/L associated with 34% higher depression risk.
- Fermented foods >3 servings/week lower social anxiety by 20%.
- High saturated fat diets increase depression by 42%.
- Tryptophan-rich foods improve mood scores by 15%.
- In UK Biobank (n=100k), healthy diet reduces depression by 22%.
- Iron deficiency anemia raises postpartum depression by 25%.
- Polyphenol-rich diets (berries) lower cognitive decline/depression by 18%.
- Skipping breakfast increases depression risk by 21% in teens.
- Magnesium >300mg/day reduces PMS/depression symptoms by 30%.
- Ultra-processed foods >4 servings/day raise depression by 48%.
- Saffron supplementation (30mg/day) as effective as antidepressants (65% response).
- In HELFIMED study, diet change remitted depression in 32% vs. 8% control.
Mental Health Interpretation
Obesity
- In the United States, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over was 42.4% in 2017–2018, with severe obesity at 9.2%.
- Globally, the prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, affecting over 650 million adults.
- Among U.S. children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, 19.7% had obesity in 2017–2018.
- In Europe, 23% of adults were obese in 2019, with projections to reach 29% by 2030.
- Mexican adults have the highest obesity rate in the OECD at 33.2% in 2022.
- In the UK, 64% of adults were overweight or obese in 2021–2022.
- U.S. adult obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% in 1999–2000 to 41.9% in 2017–2018.
- In Australia, 31.6% of adults were obese in 2017–2018.
- Saudi Arabia reports 35.4% adult obesity prevalence in 2022.
- In India, urban obesity rates rose to 20.1% among women aged 20-49 in NFHS-5 (2019-21).
- Brazilian adults had 22.4% obesity prevalence in 2019.
- Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates at 4.3% among adults in 2016.
- In South Africa, 68% of women are overweight or obese as of 2022.
- U.S. non-Hispanic Black adults have 49.9% obesity prevalence vs. 41.4% for non-Hispanic White in 2017-18.
- Childhood obesity in the EU affected 5.6 million children aged 7-9 in 2018-2019.
- In China, adult obesity prevalence reached 16.4% in 2020.
- Canadian adults: 30% obese in 2018.
- Egypt has 37% adult obesity rate, highest in MENA region per 2022 data.
- In Germany, 24% of adults were obese in 2019.
- U.S. adult men obesity: 43.0%, women: 41.9% in 2017–2018.
- Pacific Islands like Nauru have 61% adult obesity rate in 2016.
- In France, 17% of adults obese in 2019.
- Turkey adult obesity: 31.9% in 2022.
- In the U.S., obesity-related medical costs reached $173 billion in 2019.
- Global overweight children under 5: 38.9 million in 2020.
- Italian adults: 19.9% obesity in 2019.
- In Russia, 24.5% adults obese per 2020 data.
- U.S. states: West Virginia highest adult obesity at 41% in 2023.
- In Qatar, 42.7% adult obesity in 2022.
- Spain adult obesity: 23.2% in 2021.
Obesity Interpretation
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