New Data On CO2 and Plant Nutrition

Several years ago I was reading somewhere that nutrient levels in plants had declined over my lifetime (last 66 years). I thought it probably had to do with declining soil fertility, the over-reliance on the chemical additives of industrial agriculture rather than the regenerative practices of organic agriculture…..and maybe that contributes to declining fertility. Many food plants have also been bred to increase growth rate, pest resistance, or “shipability”, not taste or nutrition. Also, numerous species of fruits and  vegetables are picked a little before ripeness to keep them from spoiling en route to stores.

Well, here’s new data from scientific studies (what few there are) that shows that rising levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere are negatively impacting plant’s nutritional profile; i.e., they contain less protein and minerals. And this is happening with WILD plants as well.

I consider this info crucial to the current debates on both climate change and public health. Please read and spread the word.

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

 

Work That Matters

While some folks are obsessed with creating ever more capable AI and turning even more jobs over to robots, here’s an alternate viewpoint that is life-affirming:

What’s the most satisfying job in the world? You’d be surprised

 

Part 2 of the Microbiome, Subset Virome

This article, written more in lay person’s language, is just as fascinating and mind-opening. This is science as it is being worked with on the ground, so to speak, and is challenging to most of our preconceptions of disease theory. What I love is the sense that we are so much more complex, and the world is so much more magnificent and mysterious than we were taught in high school biology….

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/why-only-thing-influenza-may-kill-germ-theory

Fascinating New Research: We Have a Virome

The human biome is in the news quite a bit lately, and deservedly so. But here is some new information: we also have a virome, and it is just as quirky, complex, fascinating, and necessary to human health. Here is an excellent technical description that is well worth reading even if it challenges our ability to fully understand the science:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/profound-implications-virome-human-health-and-autoimmunity

What Do the Healthiest People Eat?

I have studied diet and nutrition for decades; have personally tried at least a dozen different diets; and have watched documentaries and experts battle with one another for the “truth” about what diet is best. Here is a great article about a multi-year, multi-country study that is remarkably free of hype:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/09/moderate-intake-of-things-linked-to-health/538428/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-090117&silverid=MzY1MjgwODgyOTU5S0