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).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cholesterol.htm
02
45.8% of U.S. adults had hypertension or high blood pressure (2019-2020 NHANES/CDC).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hypertension.htm
03
1.6 billion adults worldwide are overweight.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
04
650 million adults worldwide are obese.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
05
39% of adults worldwide are overweight.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
06
13% of adults worldwide are obese.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
07
2.0 billion people worldwide are deficient in micronutrients (hidden hunger).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
08
29.4% of adults worldwide are insufficiently physically active (WHO Global Health Observatory).https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/322
09
Global food loss and waste is estimated at about 1.3 billion tonnes per year.https://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/
10
1.3 billion tonnes is about one-third of all food produced globally.https://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/
11
Food loss and waste at the consumer level accounts for approximately 13% of global food loss and waste.https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf
12
The EAT-Lancet reference diet for adults is 2500 kcal/day (reference intake level).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
13
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 50 g/day of nuts and 50 g/day of legumes.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
14
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 200 g/day of vegetables.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
15
The EAT-Lancet reference diet includes 250 g/day of fruits.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
16
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 14 g/day of added sugars.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
17
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 2300 mg/day of sodium (converted from salt).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
18
The EAT-Lancet reference diet recommends 29 g/day of fiber for a 2500 kcal/day diet.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214793121000091
19
WHO recommends salt intake of less than 5 g/day for adults.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction
20
WHO recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of total energy intake.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
21
WHO recommends replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
22
WHO recommends at least 400 g/day of fruits and vegetables for adults.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
23
Dietary Guidelines recommend 3100-3400 mg/day of potassium (depending on age/sex) in the U.S. (adequate intake).https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/
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).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224202/
25
WHO estimates salt intake averages 9-12 g/day in many countries, above the 5 g/day target.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction
26
WHO estimates that around 1 in 3 deaths globally are attributable to noncommunicable diseases, with diet as a key risk factor.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
27
NCD deaths are estimated to account for 41 million people each year globally.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
28
About 4 million deaths per year are attributable to fruit and vegetable intake below 400 g/day (WHO).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
29
1.9 million deaths per year are attributable to insufficient breastfeeding in terms of diet effects (WHO).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
30
44% of children under 5 are stunted worldwide (WHO).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
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).https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/ecommerce/online-food-delivery/meal-kits
02
The global plant-based food market was $9.6 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.statista.com/topics/1393/plant-based-foods/
03
The global sports nutrition market size was $60.4 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.statista.com/topics/4057/sports-nutrition/
04
The global functional food market is projected to reach $278 billion by 2025 (forecast).https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/01/31/1974528/0/en/Functional-Foods-Market-Size-to-Reach-278-0-Billion-by-2025-Fortune-Business-Insights.html
05
The global ready-to-eat food market size was $60.0 billion in 2021 (estimated).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ready-to-eat-food-market-188424513.html
06
The global frozen food market size was $280.0 billion in 2021 (estimated).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/frozen-food-market-1299.html
07
The global baby food market size was $78.0 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/baby-food-market
08
The global food preservatives market size was $6.5 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/food-preservatives-market
09
The global food flavor and fragrance market was $8.2 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/food-flavor-market
10
The global plant-based milk market size is forecast to reach $35.0 billion by 2028 (forecast).https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/plant-based-milk-market
11
The global meat substitutes market size was $6.9 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/meat-substitutes-market
12
The global cultured meat market size was $27 million in 2022 (estimated).https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/09/07/2741738/0/en/Cultured-Meat-Market-Size-is-Expected-to-Grow-from-27-6-Million-in-2022-to-2-8-Billion-by-2030.html
13
The global precision fermentation market size was $95.2 million in 2023 (estimated).https://www.precedenceresearch.com/precision-fermentation-market
14
The global functional beverages market is projected to reach $399.2 billion by 2030 (forecast).https://www.precedenceresearch.com/functional-beverages-market
15
The global energy drinks market size was $58.7 billion in 2023 (estimated).https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/energy-drinks-market
16
The global probiotic foods and beverages market was valued at $4.1 billion in 2022 (estimated).https://www.precedenceresearch.com/probiotic-foods-and-beverages-market
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
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
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
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)