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Crop Nutrient Decline

How much has the nutrient content of food crops declined over the last 50 years?

April 25, 2011 |
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Supplementary Info

Crop Nutrient Decline, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Sources Cited

Bailey SW, Ayling JE. The extremely slow and variable activity of dihydrofolate reductase in human liver and its implications for high folic acid intake. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 8;106(36):15424-9. Epub 2009 Aug 24.

Is the nutrient content of our food falling? Arbor Clinical Nutrition Updates 2007 (Jan);270:1-3 ISSN 1446-5450

Acknowledgements

Transcript

But sellers of supplements like to argue that we have to take vitamin pills because the nutrient content of our crops has declined over the last 50 years due to soil depletion Is that true? The nutrient content of our food is in decline: fact or fiction? It’s a fact. But by how much though?
On average, over the last 50 years, have the nutrients declined just a little—1-20%, or is it 20-40%? Are they only half as nutritious? Do we have to eat twice as many carrots these days as we would have in the 1950s to get the same amount of nutrition? Or is it even worse, and the majority of the nutrients have disappeared?
We’ve only lost about 15%, on average, across 43 different crops. So instead of eating 6 florets of broccoli, eat 7.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on nutrition myths here. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on nutrition myths here. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=640861216 Gary Yuen

    I suppose there are many other nutrients and good things not tested.

  • Organicmarsha2012

    If I put wheat grass in my morning green smoothie is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

    If I bathe in 1 Tbs full of coconut oil every morning is this increasing my cholesterol or do I actually have to injest it?  Can it pass through my skin?

  • Rick

    Our crops have lost some of their nutritional value – I assume that this is where soil has been misused by 1. lack of crop rotation and 2. pesticides and herbicides. I assume that if I plant a garden in my back yard, there is no nutritional loss from days of old. Is this wrong?

    • http://www.DonForresterMD.com/ Don Forrester MD

      It would depend on quality of soil and the seeds you plant and other variables such as weather and water. Generally planting your own fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to save money, avoid pesticides and get healthy food. Good luck with the garden.

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