The decade of 2016–25 has been declared as the Decade of Action on Nutrition by the United Nations General Assembly.44 GBD 2016 provides a comprehensive picture of various forms of malnutrition (ie, undernutrition, overweight or obesity, and poor dietary habits) across all countries at the start of the Decade of Action on Nutrition and can inform priorities for evidence-based interventions in each country. GBD also provides an independent avenue to annually monitor the progress of countries toward achieving their nutrition-related goals in a comparable and consistent manner. Our results show that among all forms of malnutrition, poor dietary habits, particularly low intake of healthy foods, is the leading risk factor for mortality. This finding has important implications for national governments and international organisations aiming at ending malnutrition over the next decade, highlighting the need for comprehensive food system interventions to promote the production, distribution, and consumption of healthy foods across nations.
