Rising carbon dioxide levels in the air are causing zinc deficiency in Indian crops reducing the nutritional value of food consumed by Indians.
According to the study by the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, people living in rice-diet dominated regions of India have inadequate intake of zinc in daily food.
The national rate of inadequate zinc intake has increased from 17% to 25% between 1983 and 2012.
Zinc deficiency increases the risk of diseases like malaria, diarrhoeal afflictions, and pneumonia, particularly in children.