Alarming loss of nutrients, rise in toxins seen in rice, wheat over 50 yrs
Times of India | 25 January 2024
KOLKATA: The nutritional quality of rice and wheat, the most common staples in Indian households, has dipped alarmingly over the past five decades even as toxin levels have risen dangerously, a study led by scientists at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, has revealed. This is particularly true of high-yield varieties that have replaced traditional varieties, says the study that has been tracking the nutritional content of rice and wheat over the past 50 years.
It shows micronutrients like zinc and iron in food grain that form the dietary foundation for a large section of the population have declined significantly in the past 50 years. For rice, zinc and iron concentrations have dipped 33% and 27% respectively while for wheat the decline is 30% and 19% respectively.
The study also detected a perilous 1,493% increase in arsenic concentration in rice and a substantial rise in other hazardous elements like barium, strontium and chromium.
The study funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was presented at a webinar by Centre for Science & Environment on Tuesday.
Health experts say the "historical shift" in the nutrient profiles of rice and wheat could exacerbate India's burden of non-communicable diseases. Iron deficiencies lead to anaemia, weakened immune systems, maternal deaths, low birth weight, and premature deliveries, while zinc deficiency is associated with diarrhoea, weak immune systems, dwarfism, child mortality and pneumonia.
According to scientists, continuous genetic tampering and modern breeding programmes have stripped plants of their natural evolutionary defence mechanisms against toxins.
Sovan Debnath, lead author of the study and soil scientist at ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, and Biswapati Mandal, co-author and former professor at Directorate of Research, BCKV, said there was an urgent need to address the critical issue of fall in nutrients and rise of toxins in food grains.
“Our experiments showed that modern-bred cultivars of rice and wheat are less efficient in sequestering nutrients like zinc and iron, despite their availability in soil,” said Debnath. Clinical nutritionist Ishi Khosla said thanks to enormous pollution, our bodies had lost the ability to absorb micronutrients from our staples.
“This has a lot to do with our modern agricultural practices,” said Khosla. Shagun from CSE said: “The study sheds light on the nutritional security impact of Green Revolution in India. Agricultural practices aimed at achieving food security have inadvertently compromised soil health and led to surface water pollution, groundwater depletion, and monocropping. ”
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