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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1580458
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the Obesity-Cancer Nexus: Dietary Influences and Biological MechanismsView all 4 articles
Global Disease Burden of Colorectal Cancer Attributable to High BMI Has More Than Doubled Over the Past 30 Years
Provisionally accepted- 1Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 2Nanhai Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) significantly contributes to global cancer-related mortality and morbidity, with high body mass index (BMI) as a key modifiable risk factor. Understanding the evolving burden of CRC attributable to high BMI is essential for informing public health strategies and meeting global non-communicable disease targets.Methods: Using Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 data, we examined age-, sex-, and location-specific CRC burden attributable to obesity. Trends in age-standardized death rates (ASDR) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were assessed using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC).Results: Between 1990 and 2021, CRC deaths attributable to obesity increased from 41,535.8 (95% UI 17,665.6–67,379) to 99,268.0 (95% UI 42,956.3–157,948.8), while DALYs increased from 15,042.1 (95% UI 4,297.8–16,319.7) to 64,664.2 (95% UI 102,159.3–375,234.0). High-SDI regions showed declining ASDR (EAPC=-0.64, 95% UI -0.69 to -0.59) and DALY rates (EAPC=-0.48, 95% UI -0.52 to -0.43), but retained the highest absolute burden. In contrast, middle- and low-SDI regions exhibited alarming increases in both ASDR and DALY rates, with EAPCs exceeding 2.0. East Asia reported the highest absolute mortality and DALY burden, whereas Australasia showed the lowest burden and declining trends. Inequality in CRC burden widened substantially between high- and low-SDI regions during the study period.Conclusion: The global burden of CRC attributable to high BMI doubled from 1990 to 2021, with increasing disparities across SDI regions, especially in low- and middle-SDI areas. Urgent strategies—focusing on obesity prevention, early detection, and equitable care—are essential to reduce this burden and achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Keywords: Jiamin Zeng: Conceptualization, methodology, Data curation, software and writing-review & editing. Wenjie Li: Conceptualization, project administration, supervision and validation. Zhiming Wu: Funding acquisition, supervision and validation Not applicable Colorectal cancer, high body mass index
Received: 20 Feb 2025; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zeng, Li and Wu. 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: Wenjie Li, Nanhai Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
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