Knowledge Tree
non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Also known as: NCDs, noncommunicable diseases, non-communicable disease, non-communicable disease (NCD), non-communicable chronic diseases, NCD
Facts (78)
Sources
Dietary Guidelines and Quality - Principles of Nutritional Assessment nutritionalassessment.org 17 facts
claimThe Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) focuses on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk and is based on dietary guidance for adults.
claimIn the second half of the 20th century, the definition of a 'protective' diet shifted from preventing nutrient deficiencies to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as supported by evidence regarding dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
referenceDiet quality indices may be designed to capture one or more of the following characteristics: food group consumption (quantities, diversity, balance), macronutrient balance (percent of energy from protein, carbohydrates, and fat), nutrient density (nutrients per 1000kcals), nutrient adequacy relative to requirements, moderation in consumption of foods that elevate NCD risk, adherence to dietary patterns designed to minimize NCD risk, adherence to healthy cultural dietary patterns, environmental impact/sustainability, and adherence to dietary guidance from national or global health authorities.
claimThe GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators (2019) identified that global concerns regarding diet quality now encompass sufficiency/adequacy, non-communicable disease (NCD) risk reduction, food safety, and sustainability, which are relevant in all countries.
claimThe U.S. dietary guidelines are intended to ensure nutrient adequacy and to reduce risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) reflects both of these goals.
claimDietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores are widely used in studies investigating associations between dietary patterns and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
claimThe Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) Score was developed as a complement to the Minimum Diet Diversity for Women (MDD-W) to provide a low-burden index that reflects non-communicable disease (NCD) risk reduction.
claimPrevious versions of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) have been associated with reduced risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mortality in numerous studies, including research by Liese et al. (2015) and Schwingshackl & Hoffmann (2015).
referenceDietary Inflammatory Indices (DII) were developed by researchers including Tabung et al. (2016; 2017) and Hébert et al. (2019) to capture the inflammatory potential of a diet, recognizing the role of chronic low-grade inflammation in the etiology of non-communicable diseases.
claimShivappa et al. (2014) identified the inflammatory effects of dietary components as a significant concern related to diet quality and non-communicable disease (NCD) risk.
claimThe Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) measures the consumption of a literature-based selection of foods and nutrients that are consistently associated with a decreased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
claimThe Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) Score is a proxy indicator designed to reflect adherence to global dietary guidance from the World Health Organization and the World Cancer Research Fund, specifically focusing on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk.
claimBy the late 20th century, the focus of national dietary guidance shifted to include a strong emphasis on reducing risks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cancers, while maintaining a focus on nutrient adequacy.
claimModern diet quality indices have evolved to reflect multiple characteristics, including nutrient adequacy, non-communicable disease (NCD) risk, and increasingly, sustainability concerns.
claimThe Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is a scoring system that summarizes the inflammatory potential of a diet, as inflammatory diets have been linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
referenceBromage et al. (2021) assessed the construct validity of the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) relative to nutrient adequacy, biomarkers for non-communicable disease (NCD) risk, metabolic syndrome, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.
claimFood group diversity indicators are used as proxies for micronutrient density or adequacy across various demographic groups, though they were not designed to reflect non-communicable disease (NCD) risk.
Analysis of study Global Burden of Disease in 2021 - Frontiers frontiersin.org Jan 14, 2025 13 facts
perspectiveFuture policies should prioritize low-SDI areas, children, male groups, and areas with scarce medical resources to achieve a more balanced distribution of health resources and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.
claimIn 2021, the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates for non-communicable diseases (NDs) were inversely correlated with the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) across 204 countries and regions.
claimAlthough the global burden of non-communicable diseases has declined overall, age-specific, gender-specific, and region-specific disparities remain significant.
measurementIn 2021, the highest incidence, prevalence, and deaths for non-communicable diseases were found in South Asia, while the highest disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were found in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa.
measurementIn high-SDI regions, incidence rates for non-communicable diseases fell by 1.26% for men and 1.55% for women between 1990 and 2021.
claimHigher Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) levels are associated with lower disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), as well as reduced age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), prevalence rates (ASPR), and mortality rates (ASMR) for non-communicable diseases.
measurementThe global incidence rate for non-communicable diseases (NDs) declined between 1990 and 2021, with average decreases of 2.76% for men and 2.22% for women.
claimIn low-income regions such as Southeast Asia, the need for public health intervention remains high due to scarce resources, despite declining incidence rates of non-communicable diseases.
measurementIn low-middle SDI regions, incidence rates for non-communicable diseases decreased by 3.76% for men and 3.06% for women between 1990 and 2021.
claimRegions with high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI), such as Western Europe and high-income Asia Pacific, exhibited significantly lower age-standardized rates (ASR) for non-communicable diseases, while low-SDI regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, had substantially higher ASR rates.
claimOver the 30-year period from 1990 to 2021, the decline rate for non-communicable disease incidence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was higher for males than for females, while the opposite trend was observed for prevalence and mortality rates.
measurementGlobally, from 1990 to 2021, the absolute incidence of non-communicable diseases was reduced by 39%, deaths by 61%, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by 38%, while prevalence increased by 4.5%.
claimFor non-communicable diseases, the overall rates of incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) decrease with increasing age.
Global overview of dietary outcomes and dietary intake assessment ... link.springer.com Aug 21, 2021 8 facts
claimAdvanced statistical methods, such as factor analysis for dietary patterns, and complex indicators, such as the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) or Dietary Diversity (DD), are useful for analyzing the association between dietary intakes and non-communicable diseases in maritime settings.
claimThere have been very few studies assessing the relationship between diet and non-communicable diseases in maritime settings.
referenceJensen O., Charalambous G., Flores A., Baygi F., Canals M., et al. authored 'Strategies for prevention of non-communicable diseases in seafarers and fishermen: lessons learned', published in the International Journal of Community and Family Medicine in 2018, volume 3, page 142.
claimSeafarers and other shift workers are more vulnerable to dietary risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), potentially due to difficulties in accessing healthy foods.
claimGlobal shifts in consumption patterns, known as the 'nutrition transition' (characterized by increased food consumption and a higher tendency to consume fast food), explain the recent research focus on the role of nutrition in non-communicable diseases.
claimOver the past three decades, nutritional research has increasingly highlighted the role of nutrition in reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases.
claimSeafaring is a high-risk occupation characterized by a high prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases.
referenceNCDRs stands for Non-communicable diseases risk factors.
History of modern nutrition science—implications for current ... bmj.com Jun 13, 2018 8 facts
claimReductionist nutritional models, which focus on isolating single nutrients, have been shown by subsequent research to translate poorly to the study and treatment of non-communicable diseases.
claimRecent advances in nutrition science indicate that food and diet patterns, rather than nutrient-focused metrics, explain many effects of diet on non-communicable diseases.
perspectiveThe international nutrition community's focus on obesity as the primary non-communicable disease concern promotes a misleading concept of 'overnutrition,' rather than identifying unhealthy dietary composition as the root problem.
claimSingle nutrient theories are inadequate to explain many effects of diet on non-communicable diseases, pushing the field of nutrition science beyond the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) framework and toward the complex biological effects of foods and diet patterns.
claimNutrition policy aimed at reducing non-communicable diseases has historically relied on consumer education, dietary guidelines, and product labeling, but these strategies have had limited effects on behavior.
claimThe reductionist approach to nutrition science was extended to address the rise in diet-related non-communicable diseases by focusing on specific components like total fat, saturated fat, or sugar rather than overall diet quality.
perspectiveRigorous investigation is needed in lower-income nations to identify optimal dietary patterns that simultaneously address maternal health, child development, infection risk, and non-communicable diseases.
claimLower-income countries are recognizing a growing 'double burden' of disease, which is defined as the combination of undernutrition and non-communicable disease.
A Scoping Review of Indicators for Sustainable Healthy Diets frontiersin.org Jan 12, 2022 5 facts
claimNo single dietary metric was found to be applicable for both maternal and child health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), leading authors to express a need for novel metrics covering both areas.
claimChildhood obesity often persists into adulthood, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer, according to Guh et al. (2009) and Lauby-Secretan et al. (2016).
measurementA synthesis of dietary quality metrics for validating the double burden of malnutrition identified 19 dietary metrics, including 7 related to maternal and child health and 12 developed for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
claimComposite indices such as healthy eating indices, the Health Score, and the Diet Quality Index are justified because they are based on national dietary guidelines and assess overall diets beyond single nutrients, which is important for the reduction of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (Carvalho et al., 2013; Wrieden et al., 2019; Rose et al., 2019; Van Dooren et al., 2014).
claimThe scoping review identified relatively few health outcome indicators for forms of malnutrition other than diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
a synthesis of dietary quality metrics and their validity for the double ... research.manchester.ac.uk 5 facts
claimNo dietary metrics identified in the systematic review addressed both maternal and child health (MCH) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) together.
claimFour non-communicable disease (NCD) dietary metrics—the Mediterranean Diet Score, Alternative Healthy Eating Index, Healthy Eating Index, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension—have convincing evidence of protective associations with specific NCD outcomes, including mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and total cancer.
claimNone of the dietary metrics reviewed had been validated against both maternal and child health (MCH) and non-communicable disease (NCD) outcomes.
claimThe remaining non-communicable disease (NCD) dietary metrics and all maternal and child health (MCH) dietary metrics were not convincingly validated against MCH or NCD health outcomes.
measurementA systematic search of PubMed identified seven dietary metrics aiming to address maternal and child health (MCH) and 12 dietary metrics aiming to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Measurement of diets that are healthy, environmentally sustainable ... frontiersin.org 4 facts
claimThe under-representation of low-income countries in healthy diet research is attributed to a lack of datasets, the use of data derived from high-income settings, and a focus on health outcomes where data is plentiful, such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), all-cause mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
claimMost indicators used in modeling diet and health focus on specific dietary exposures in relation to a small number of outcomes, such as all-cause mortality risk, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), or diet-related non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD), certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
claimFood systems simultaneously generate significant greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, underpin dietary patterns associated with a global escalation of non-communicable diseases, leave millions undernourished, and allow for the exploitation of food system workers.
claimMetrics used to assess the human and planetary impacts of dietary choices are currently centered on diet-related non-communicable disease states, greenhouse gas emissions, and natural resource depletion or pollution outcomes.
a synthesis of dietary quality metrics and their validity for ... - PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 3 facts
measurementThe study identified seven dietary metrics aiming to address maternal and child health (MCH) and 12 dietary metrics aiming to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with no dietary metrics addressing both simultaneously.
referenceThe authors of the study 'Defining diet quality: a synthesis of dietary quality metrics and their validity for the double burden of malnutrition' reviewed available global dietary quality metrics and evidence for their validity to assess maternal and child health (MCH) and non-communicable disease (NCD) outcomes, both separately and together.
claimThe double burden of malnutrition includes both diet-related maternal and child health (MCH) issues and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Associations between dietary diversity and self-rated health in a ... link.springer.com Feb 28, 2025 2 facts
claimDiets high in fats, saturated fats, and sugars, which are characteristic of industrialized, marketed, and ultra-processed foods, are linked to a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
claimDietary interventions through nutrition therapy are considered important for managing non-communicable diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes and are supported by organizations worldwide.
Global dietary quality in 185 countries from 1990 to 2018 show wide ... nature.com Sep 19, 2022 1 fact
claimBehavioral and dietary risk factors are significant contributors to noncommunicable diseases.
Western diet – Knowledge and References - Taylor & Francis taylorandfrancis.com 1 fact
claimDramatic changes in diet and lifestyle over the last century have contributed to an increase in non-communicable diseases, including obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Sustainable and healthy diet index (SHDI) unveils regional ... link.springer.com Sep 11, 2025 1 fact
claimThe Planetary Health Diet (PHD) aims to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and premature mortality by providing balanced food group recommendations.
Diet Quality Indices: Measures for Bridging Nutrition and Public Health link.springer.com 2 days ago 1 fact
referenceHlaing-Hlaing H, Dolja-Gore X, Tavener M et al. (2022) analyzed the association between the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 and incident non-communicable diseases in a 15-year follow-up of women from the 1973–78 cohort of the Australian longitudinal study on women’s health, published in Nutrients 14(20):4403.
How do the indices based on the EAT-Lancet recommendations ... medrxiv.org May 14, 2024 1 fact
perspectiveFuture research should analyze the link between dietary intake and non-communicable diseases to strengthen validity research.
Measuring Adherence to Sustainable Healthy Diets - R Discovery discovery.researcher.life Dec 26, 2022 1 fact
claimBiologically, Sustainable Healthy Diets are associated with a reduced risk of non-communicable diseases, greater longevity, and adequate nutrient intake.
Defining diet quality: a synthesis of dietary quality metrics ... thelancet.com 1 fact
claimV Miller's 2020 study aimed to review available global dietary quality metrics and the evidence for their validity in assessing maternal and child health (MCH) and non-communicable diseases (NCD).
(PDF) Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Diet and Nutrition academia.edu 1 fact
claimThe consumption of modern Western diets in wealthy countries, combined with sedentary behavior, is associated with an increased prevalence of morbidity and mortality due to noncommunicable diseases.
Wild edible plants for food security, dietary diversity, and nutraceuticals frontiersin.org Nov 27, 2025 1 fact
claimLittle is known about the nutritional value, safety, availability, use, and consumption patterns of most wild edible plant species, nor their impact on human health and the risk of non-communicable diseases, according to Termote et al. (2014).
A Consensus Proposal for Nutritional Indicators to Assess ... - Frontiers frontiersin.org 1 fact
claimIndicators are necessary to evaluate the impact of dietary patterns on long-term health status, specifically regarding the pathogenesis and incidence of non-communicable chronic diseases.
Health and environmental impacts of diets worldwide globalnutritionreport.org 1 fact
claimNo global region is currently on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3.4) of reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by one-third between 2015 and 2030.
The Scientific Consensus on a Healthy Diet - NutritionFacts.org nutritionfacts.org Jun 30, 2021 1 fact
referenceEzzati M and Riboli E published the article 'Can noncommunicable diseases be prevented? Lessons from studies of populations and individuals' in the journal Science in 2012.
(PDF) Defining diet quality: a synthesis of dietary quality metrics and ... researchgate.net Aug 4, 2020 1 fact
claimThe Mediterranean Diet Score, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, the Healthy Eating Index, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop [Hypertension] are identified as four dietary metrics used for non-communicable disease (NCD) research.