Here we are, once again, talking about climate change. Are we exaggerating? No, not even close. In fact, it should become one of those topics we talk about every day. After all, there's no shortage of food for thought: a new one comes directly from a recent Dutch study showing how the increase in carbon dioxide in the air makes our foods more caloric but, at the same time, less nutritious.
The Limitations of Previous Research
This isn't a new study, but a meta-analysis that examined numerous experiments conducted in previous years, all of which highlighted the same (worrying) problem: CO2 concentration affects the nutritional profile of crops. The review, conducted by Leiden University in the Netherlands, developed a new observational model designed to overcome some of the limitations of previous studies: Sterre ter Haar, a professor and researcher at the university, stated, as reported by the Guardian, that although "there was a lot of data from previous studies, the answers were few." The studies in question all used the same analytical methodology: observing the behavior of plants, divided into two groups, grown under identical conditions except for the presence of carbon dioxide. The results highlighted a real change, but the sample size was often too small to draw generalizable conclusions.
The Results of a New Meta-Analysis
The team of experts then set to work, creating a massive meta-analysis, combining data from over 29,000 observations on 43 different crops and 32 nutrients present in the edible parts of the plants. What they found was a linear effect on growth: as the carbon dioxide level doubled, the effect on nutrients also doubled. Plants grown at a CO2 concentration of 550 ppm (parts per million of gas) showed very different characteristics than those grown at a CO2 concentration of 350 ppm. At higher concentrations, plants that accumulated more carbohydrates, thus becoming more caloric, grew much faster, but without a proportional increase in nutrient content, particularly zinc, iron, and protein.
One of the most worrying aspects is that the scenario envisioned by the research doesn't concern a very distant future: carbon dioxide concentrations are already much higher today than they were just a few decades ago. Suffice it to say that today's CO2 level is 425 parts per million and, according to experts, it appears it will reach 550 ppm —the measurement used for experiments— by 2065 (and in certain contexts, forty years isn't that long). This is a situation that must be addressed with the utmost urgency and speed, considering that the damage is likely already occurring: "Climate change is not a distant problem. The effects are already on our plates," said Ter Haar.
The Risk of "Hidden Hunger"
The most studied crops in the study include widely consumed foods such as rice, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, and legumes. It goes without saying that the nutrients present in these foods are essential for our immune system and the proper functioning of many metabolic processes. According to the results of this study, therefore, seemingly identical portions may provide fewer nutrients than in the past, and as a result, we may consume foods that are satiating but less nutritious. This is why experts speak of so-called "hidden hunger": a condition in which the caloric intake may be sufficient but the vitamin and mineral intake is lacking.
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