Nutritional Diseases Chemical Pollution
Impact of climate change on arsenic concentrations in paddy rice and the associated dietary health risks in Asia: An experimental and modelling study. The Lancet Planetary Health.
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WHAT IS PLANETARY HEALTH?
Nutritional Diseases
Global nutrition security is faltering as food quality, availability, and access deteriorate and contribute to health conditions and disparities.
The degradation of Earth’s natural systems, combined with anthropogenic CO2 emissions, poses a critical threat to global food systems. Beyond the climate-induced impacts on quantity of crops, elevated CO2 levels directly affect the nutritional value of staple crops. As of 2023, the globally averaged CO2 concentration reached 420 ppm, with projections suggesting levels could exceed 550 ppm by mid-century. This increase could lead to an additional 1.9% of the global population (approximately 175 million people) becoming zinc deficient, 1.3% (122 million people) facing protein deficiencies, and nearly 1.4 billion children under five and women of childbearing age living in regions at the highest risk of iron deficiency-induced anemia. Vulnerable populations, especially in low-income regions where diets are predominantly plant-based, face a heightened risk of multiple nutrient deficiencies.
Deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and pollution further undermine the planet’s ability to support and produce food sustainably. Climate instability exacerbates these challenges, with extreme weather events, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising temperatures disrupting agricultural yields and destabilizing growing seasons. Meanwhile, the depletion of vital resources, such as freshwater and fertile soil, along with declines in pollinator populations due to habitat loss and pesticide use, jeopardizes crops critical for food production.
These interconnected issues collectively compromise food availability, access, and nutritional quality, intensifying the risk of hunger and malnutrition for billions, particularly in low-income communities reliant on subsistence farming. Addressing these challenges demands urgent, coordinated efforts to restore and protect Earth’s natural systems while fostering sustainable and resilient food systems.
Nutritional Diseases Resources
Nutritional Diseases Food Systems
Adherence to the Planetary Health Diet reduces dietary costs by 21% supporting affordable healthy eating among older adults in Iran. Scientific Reports.
A study in Scientific Reports found that higher adherence to the Planetary Health Diet among older adults in Iran is associated with a 21% reduction in dietary costs, supporting affordable healthy eating in this population.
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Nutritional Diseases Food Systems
The mismatch between biological needs and the modern food industry. Nature Food.
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Life Stage and Reproductive Health Nutritional Diseases
Examining the link between adherence to the Planetary Health diet pattern and mortality in the U.S.: A prospective cohort study. European Journal of Nutrition.
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Nutritional Diseases Climate Change
Planetary Health diet index trends and associations with dietary greenhouse gas emissions, disease biomarkers, obesity, and mortality in the United States (2005-2018). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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