Impact of dietary transitions on overweight and obesity burden and future trends among Chinese adults
Previous studies have examined dietary shifts and their impact on metabolic health in China, but the burden of overweight and obesity attributable to dietary risk factors remains unknown. Here, we found high intakes of both red meat and refined grains were the leading dietary factors responsible for the overweight/obesity burden. Although increasing intake trends were detected for whole grains, fruits, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and fish, their average intakes were still below optimal levels. The overall suboptimal dietary quality was attributable for 50.6% (214.9 million) of the total overweight/obesity burden in 2011, resulting in a medical cost of ¥32.5 billion, and was expected to be attributable for 477.3 million overweight/obesity cases in 2031, causing a medical cost of ¥313.6 billion. Obesity-related dietary guidelines and agriculture and food policies are warranted to improve diet quality and fight the obesity epidemic in China.
Authors
- Xuzhi Wan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-9553)
- You Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9271-1974)
- Li Yin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5720-5267)
- Jingjing Jiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4167-1567)
- Yang Ao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9239-4873)
- Zhen Yan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3519-9596)
- Xiaohui Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1202-3771)
- Yu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1025-906X)
- Yuqi Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3301-3927)
- Pan Zhuang
Institutions
- ZheJiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN)
- Beijing Hua Xin Hospital (CN)
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Science of Food
- Published
- 2025-11-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00615-4
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.88
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Institute for Nutrition and Health
- National Institutes of Health
- China-Japan Friendship Hospital
- Fogarty International Center
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development