Food quality is yet another item we add to the growing list of vulnerable elements that is susceptible to the damaging effects of climate change. It's not only food supply that we must be worried about, it seems even global food quality is now at risk.

According to recent study published in the April issue of online journal Nature Climate Change, "findings imply that food quality will suffer under the CO2 levels anticipated during this century unless more sophisticated approaches to nitrogen fertilization are employed."

Basically, due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide, the quality and nutritional value in food will fall into a decline as the plants become bigger with their beneficial elements becoming diluted.

A related analysis, published in journal Nature, has looked into the nutritional value of the world's crops and the effects of rising CO2 levels. ABC News reports that the research of Samuel Myers of Harvard University's Center for the Environment "says important crops such as rice and wheat will be affected."

"Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are threatening global human nutrition by reducing the amounts of very important nutrients for human health in important food crops like rice, wheat and soy beans," he said. The study also noted that specifically, reduced nutrients were zinc, iron and protein.

Presently, over 2 billion people already suffer from nutritional deficiencies and the forecasted reduced nutrients could compound the issue with immune systems being adversely affected.

The Guardian quotes Myers reporting, "We found rising levels of CO2 are affecting human nutrition by reducing levels of very important nutrients in very important food crops. From a health viewpoint, iron and zinc are hugely important."

The study proposed that the solution maybe in alternative crops and the breeding of new food products along with finding strategies to infuse more nitrogen, possibly through fertilizers, to counter the impacts of carbon dioxide.

"It is very hard to predict all the challenges to human health resulting from climate change. My guess is there will be many more surprises as we remake the environmental conditions on the planet," said Myers to the Guardian.