The great nutrient collapse

masyukun

Politico ran a story about a researcher Irakli Loladze who discovered that the more CO2 plants are exposed to, the more sugars (carbs) they store and the fewer nutrients like protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin C they contain. Apparently nutrients across the board have "declined significantly across most garden crops since 1950."

Source: politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511

Where does this leave us for the nutrition information in Cronometer? Are these numbers constantly updated with tests from recent crops? Or are they, for the most part, based on the same old numbers we've been using forever?

Karen_Cronometer

Great questions! We use the most up to date nutrition information available - including new products available in the market place, and whole foods that are analyzed and nutrient values updated where they have changed.

mfriend

I would agree with the "Study" that nutrients have decreased in food since the 1950's but not because of increased CO2 levels (from looking at the so called study there does not even appear to have been a real scientific study... just a formulation of some 'model'.

Others have studied the same phenomena and give two reasons:
1. Farmers are growing crops on the same land year after year after. After 50, 60, 70 years the minerals in the soil get less and less. Very few farmers can essential minerals back into the soil. The soil gets depleted as a result.
2. Many of the plants that are grown for food are genetically very, very different than they were in the 50's. A big example would be wheat. Wheat used to grow tall. Now they only plan short dwarf varieties that have been genetically altered significantly.

You may want to look at studies from actual scientists that have studied biology and agriculture, not politcal articles written by mathematicians...

Susan_RD_101

@mfriend

Thanks for sharing! I think those are two very relevant and important points.

Kind regards,