Lung cancer burden linked to high fasting plasma glucose in women aged 50 and older, 1990–2021
In this Global Burden of Disease analysis, lung cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life years attributed to high fasting plasma glucose among women aged 50 and older rose from 1990 to 2021, with faster growth at older ages and differences by Socio-demographic Index and across BRICS countries. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The analysis covered women aged 50 and older, used as a population-level proxy for postmenopausal status, globally and in BRICS countries from 1990 to 2021. [1]
Globally, the age-standardized rate of high fasting plasma glucose-attributable lung cancer burden rose, with the estimated annual percentage change increasing from 0.53% at ages 50–54 to 3.65% at ages 95 and older. [1]
Among BRICS countries, the age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate rose in all five, fastest in India and slowest in China. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Global Burden of Disease modelling analysis of trends, 1990–2021 (abstract)
- Population / context
- Women aged 50 years and older, used as a population-level proxy for postmenopausal status, globally and in BRICS countries.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- June 1, 2026
Women 50+ as postmenopausal proxy, 1990–2021
The study asked how the lung cancer burden attributed to high fasting plasma glucose changed among women aged 50 and older, used as a population-level proxy for postmenopausal status. Data came from the Global Burden of Disease 1990–2021. Burden was reported as numbers and age-standardized rates per 100,000, broken down by age, Socio-demographic Index quintile and country. Trends were summarized with estimated annual percentage change from log-linear regression.
Supporting source [1]
Rising rates, steepest at oldest ages and high SDI
Globally, deaths and disability-adjusted life years attributed to high fasting plasma glucose rose markedly from 1990 to 2021, and the age-standardized rate increased (estimated annual percentage change 1.21; 95% confidence interval 1.11–1.31). The increase was steeper with age, from 0.53% in the 50–54 group to 3.65% in those aged 95 and older. In 2021 the age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate peaked at 59.38 per 100,000 in the 75–79 group. High-SDI settings consistently had the highest rates and a rising burden.
Supporting source [1]
BRICS differences: fastest rise in India, smallest in China
In the BRICS countries, the age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate rose in all five, with substantial heterogeneity. India had the fastest increase (estimated annual percentage change 3.05; 95% confidence interval 2.91–3.19), followed by South Africa (2.82; 2.64–3.00) and Brazil (2.36; 2.31–2.42); China had the smallest increase (0.87; 0.70–1.03). The authors conclude that the burden rose substantially and support integrated metabolic prevention within cancer control and healthy aging strategies.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed. The analysis is a Global Burden of Disease modelling study of associations, not evidence that high fasting plasma glucose causes lung cancer. The 50-and-older group is only a proxy for postmenopausal status, and the abstract does not report how the glucose exposure was defined or measured.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Lin L, Huang X, Li B, Li J, Chen H. · europepmc.org · June 1, 2026