Daily Threat Assessment

AGAINST US

Veggies getting less healthy?

Vegetables in 1950 were far richer in essential nutrients than they are today, Grist reports, citing a 2004 study by a University of Texas scientist. By 1999, for instance, the amount of calcium in string beans had dropped by 43 percent. The study found similar decreases in other vegetables for key nutrients like calcium, iron, phosphorus, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid. The likely reason is is "selective breeding:" growers and scientists have focused on producing crops with high yields, without considering the effect on nutrient content. [Grist]