Skip to main content
Knowledge4Policy
KNOWLEDGE FOR POLICY

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

Dataset | 01 Mar 2024

Estimated percentage of disability-adjusted life years, listed by disease, attributable to diet-related risk factors in the EU in 2019

Estimated percent (%) of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), listed by disease, attributable to diet-related risk factors in the EU in 2019

Based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study 

Values in brackets denote the contribution of the disease indicated to total EU DALYs. For a definition of what is considered 'low in' or 'high in' please refer to Table 4.

Ischemic heart disease (8.8% of total DALYs in the EU in 2019)

Dietary risks - 56.2%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium8.8
Sugar sweetened beverages2.3
Processed meat5.0
Trans fatty acids6.4
Red meat6.1
Diet low in: 
Fruits3.9
Fibre3.9
Whole grains17.3
Nuts and seeds6.0
Vegetables3.2
Legumes14.4
Polyunsaturated fatty acids2.9
Seafood omega-3 fatty acids3.4

Stroke (5.2% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 26.6%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium8.2
Red meat9.7
Diet low in: 
Fruits4.6
Whole grains3.1
Vegetables1.6
Fibre3.0

Diabetes mellitus (3.6% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 34.7%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sugar sweetened beverages4.5
Processed meat12.8
Red meat10.3
Diet low in: 
Fruits3.9
Whole grains5.4
Nuts and seeds1.9
Fibre2.7

Colon and rectum cancer (2.4% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 32.3%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Processed meat5.7
Red meat6.8
Diet low in: 
Calcium5.4
Fibre1.8
Milk10.8
Whole grains17.0

Esophageal cancer (0.5% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 13.4%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet low in: 
Fruits8.7
Vegetables5.2

Hypertensive heart disease (1.1% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 14.2%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium14.2

Tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (4.3% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 3.6%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet low in: 
Fruits3.6

Chronic kidney disease (1.3% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 5.3%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium5.3

Other cardiovascular and circulatory diseases (0.6% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 5.0%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium4.9

Stomach cancer (0.9% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 6.7%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium6.7

Aortic aneurysm (0.4% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 4.6%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium4.6

Atrial fibrillation and flutter (1.0% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 4.2%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium4.2

Endocarditis (0.1% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 3.5%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium3.5

Peripheral artery disease (0.2% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 3.1%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium3.1

Rheumatic heart disease (0.2% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 2.8%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium2.8

Cardiomyopathy and myocarditis (0.8% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 3.6%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium3.6

Non-rheumatic valvular heart disease (0.5% of total DALYs in the EU, 2019)

Dietary Risks - 2.6%

Percent (%) of DALYs

Diet high in: 
Sodium2.6

The GBD made a major methodological update in 2023, based on new available evidence that led to the update of the statistical models used. The GBD estimates for year 2017, which had been cited widely, have also been updated retroactively. Please find here the GBD 2017 estimates before the update, and here the GBD 2017 estimates after the update. Please note only the latter are comparable to the GBD 2019 estimates.