杏吧原创

RISING carbon dioxide levels may increase future crop yields but there is a catch: food will be less nutritious.

We already know that wheat exposed to higher CO₂ has a lower protein content. To see whether it affects concentrations of trace elements and toxins, from the University of Hohenheim in Germany and colleagues grew wheat under CO₂ concentrations expected by 2050. The team found an 8 per cent drop in iron and a 14 per cent increase in lead (). On the upside, levels of the heavy metal cadmium dropped by 14 per cent.

鈥淭his study brings into sharp focus the effects on wheat 鈥� one of the largest sources of nutrients for humans,鈥� says of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, who the negative effects of rising CO₂ on micronutrients seven years ago.