ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1628792
Comparative Study of China and Global Regions with Varying Sociodemographic Development Levels Based on the Global Burden of Disease Database
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
- 2Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College`, Chengdu, China
- 3West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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To analyze temporal trends of diet-attributable cancer mortality in China (1990-2021), compare patterns between China and regions with varying development levels, and explore gender-specific characteristics to inform targeted prevention strategies.Study Design: Cross-sectional and time-series analyses.We conducted cross-sectional and time-series analyses of nine dietary risk factors across China and five Socio-demographic Index (SDI) -stratified regions.Joinpoint regression models quantified temporal trends through Annual Percent Change (APC) and Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC).Results: Diet-attributable cancer deaths in China decreased from 9.9% (95% CI: 2.2%-20.5%) to 6.3% (95% CI: 2.1%-12.8%) during 1990-2021. China's 2021 attribution (6.3%) was below the global average (6.8%), exceeding high-SDI regions (5.8%) but below middle-SDI regions (7.4%). Low vegetable intake showed the largest decline (3.0% to 0.3%), while high red meat consumption increased (1.6% to 2.0%). Red meat's impact was greater in females, while inadequate plant consumption affected males more significantly. Dietary factors most influenced colorectal cancer in China (39.2%). China's diet-attributable cancer mortality decreased by 53.0% (from 18.4 to 8.7 per 100,000), exceeding global reductions (35.5%).This study identified distinct regional patterns in diet-attributable cancer mortality. China's profile reflects its transition between development levels-decreasing vegetable-deficiency risks while increasing red meat consumption.Globally, attribution patterns are shifting from plant food inadequacy toward animal product excess, with persistent gender disparities.
Keywords: Dietary risk factors, Cancer mortality, Global Burden of Disease (GBD), socio-demographic index, regional comparison
Received: 14 May 2025; Accepted: 24 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Ruan, Xiang, Zhang, Yang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shun Wang, Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College`, Chengdu, China
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