Background and Objective:
Obesity and unhealthy eating are modifiable risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a serious public health issue in Brazil. Our objective was to estimate the burden of NCDs and the financial costs for the Brazilian Unified Health System (BUHS) attributable to a diet high in processed meats, sugary drinks, sodium, trans fats, and overweight in 2019.

Methods:
The methodology included the estimation of population attributable fractions (PAF), obtained by the Global Burden of Disease 2019, whose parameters are intake of each dietary risk factor (RF), mean body mass index (BMI), size of the RF effect for each NCD, and level of exposure associated with lower mortality risk. The PAFs were multiplied by the DALYs (deaths and years of life lost, adjusted for disability) and hospitalization and procedure costs for treating NCDs, which were obtained from the BUHSs Outpatient and Hospital Information Systems.

Results:
Sodium intake was responsible for 30814 deaths (mortality rate per 100,000 - MR: 14.2) and 699119 DALYs (DALY rate per 100000 - DR: 322.7) in Brazil. The consumption of trans fats caused 12,616 deaths (MR:5.8) and 29,905 DALYs (DR:138.0). Processed meat caused 5,494 deaths (MR:2.5) and 192263 DALYs (DR:88.7). The consumption of sugary drinks caused 7657 deaths (MR:3.5) and 233436 DALYs (DR:107.7). A high BMI was attributed to 177940 deaths (MR:82.3) and 5817939 DALYs (DR:2685.2). Regarding costs, US$57,163,245 was attributable to sodium intake, US$32711912 to trans fats, US$29017436 to processed meats, US$14,116,240 to sugary drinks, and US$300,056,629 to a high BMI.

Conclusion:
Brazilians illnesses and the associated financial burden on the BUHS are strongly affected by the consumption of processed foods and being overweight. The estimates made emphasize how urgent it is to put policies, programs, and other initiatives based on evidence of health promotion and compliance into place and to strengthen them.