Diet affects cardiovascular risk and chronic disease, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Millions of adults live with conditions such as high blood cholesterol and hypertension, while global overweight and obesity rates continue to rise. This page connects these measures to how dietary patterns relate to health outcomes and how food and nutrition industries—from meal kits to plant-based options and functional foods—are evolving to support better intake.
Key Takeaways
- 32.0% of U.S. adults reported having high blood cholesterol (2019).
- 45.8% of U.S. adults had hypertension or high blood pressure (2019-2020 NHANES/CDC).
- 1.6 billion adults worldwide are overweight.
- The global meal kit delivery services market was valued at $13.5 billion in 2023 (estimated).
- The global plant-based food market was $9.6 billion in 2023 (estimated).
- The global sports nutrition market size was $60.4 billion in 2023 (estimated).
With 45.8% of U.S. adults affected by high blood pressure and global obesity rising, diet markets are booming.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends30 stats
01
32.0% of U.S. adults reported having high blood cholesterol (2019).
02
45.8% of U.S. adults had hypertension or high blood pressure (2019-2020 NHANES/CDC).
03
1.6 billion adults worldwide are overweight.
04
650 million adults worldwide are obese.
05
39% of adults worldwide are overweight.
06
13% of adults worldwide are obese.
07
2.0 billion people worldwide are deficient in micronutrients (hidden hunger).
08
29.4% of adults worldwide are insufficiently physically active (WHO Global Health Observatory).
09
Global food loss and waste is estimated at about 1.3 billion tonnes per year.
10
1.3 billion tonnes is about one-third of all food produced globally.
11
Food loss and waste at the consumer level accounts for approximately 13% of global food loss and waste.
12
The EAT-Lancet reference diet for adults is 2500 kcal/day (reference intake level).
13
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 50 g/day of nuts and 50 g/day of legumes.
14
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 200 g/day of vegetables.
15
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 250 g/day of fruits.
16
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 14 g/day of added sugars.
17
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 2300 mg/day of sodium (converted from salt).
18
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 29 g/day of fiber for a 2500 kcal/day diet.
19
WHO recommends salt intake of less than 5 g/day for adults.
20
WHO recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of total energy intake.
21
WHO recommends replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats.
22
WHO recommends at least 400 g/day of fruits and vegetables for adults.
23
Dietary Guidelines recommend 3100-3400 mg/day of potassium (depending on age/sex) in the U.S. (adequate intake).
24
The U.S. National Academies recommend fiber intake of 14 g per 1000 kcal (or AI of 25 g/day for women and 38 g/day for men).
25
WHO estimates salt intake averages 9-12 g/day in many countries, above the 5 g/day target.
26
WHO estimates that around 1 in 3 deaths globally are attributable to noncommunicable diseases, with diet as a key risk factor.
27
NCD deaths are estimated to account for 41 million people each year globally.
28
About 4 million deaths per year are attributable to fruit and vegetable intake below 400 g/day (WHO).
29
1.9 million deaths per year are attributable to insufficient breastfeeding in terms of diet effects (WHO).
30
44% of children under 5 are stunted worldwide (WHO).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The Industry Trends story in diet is dominated by the scale of cardiometabolic risk worldwide, with 39% of adults overweight and 13% obese, while in the US 32.0% have high blood cholesterol and 45.8% have hypertension or high blood pressure.
More related reading
report visual · Comparison
Hypertension vs. awareness vs. high cholesterol (U.S. adults)
Among U.S. adults, hypertension is the dominant cardiometabolic risk condition by prevalence (~46%); awareness is lower (~39%), leaving a sizable awareness gap, and high cholestero
46.2% of U.S. adults had hypertension (2017–2020).46.2%
39.0% of U.S. adults had hypertension awareness (2017–2020).
39.0%
31.8% of U.S. adults had high cholesterol (2017–2018).
31.8%
source-verifiedcdc.gov2017
02 · Category
Market Size16 stats
01
The global meal kit delivery services market was valued at $13.5 billion in 2023 (estimated).
02
The global plant-based food market was $9.6 billion in 2023 (estimated).
03
The global sports nutrition market size was $60.4 billion in 2023 (estimated).
04
The global functional food market is projected to reach $278 billion by 2025 (forecast).
05
The global ready-to-eat food market size was $60.0 billion in 2021 (estimated).
06
The global frozen food market size was $280.0 billion in 2021 (estimated).
07
The global baby food market size was $78.0 billion in 2023 (estimated).
08
The global food preservatives market size was $6.5 billion in 2023 (estimated).
09
The global food flavor and fragrance market was $8.2 billion in 2023 (estimated).
10
The global plant-based milk market size is forecast to reach $35.0 billion by 2028 (forecast).
11
The global meat substitutes market size was $6.9 billion in 2023 (estimated).
12
The global cultured meat market size was $27 million in 2022 (estimated).
13
The global precision fermentation market size was $95.2 million in 2023 (estimated).
14
The global functional beverages market is projected to reach $399.2 billion by 2030 (forecast).
15
The global energy drinks market size was $58.7 billion in 2023 (estimated).
16
The global probiotic foods and beverages market was valued at $4.1 billion in 2022 (estimated).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the Diet market category, the figures show a wide spectrum of demand with major segments already large, such as the $280.0 billion frozen food market in 2021 and the $278 billion functional food market expected by 2025, indicating steady momentum across both everyday and higher value nutrition formats.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Diet Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diet-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Diet Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diet-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Diet Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diet-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)