Abstract
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.