Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Pham, Alix; García Martínez, Juan B.; Brynych, Vojtech; Stormbjorne, Ratheka; Pearce, Joshua M.; Denkenberger, David C.

doi:10.3390/nu14030492

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Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Alix Pham

^1,*

Juan B. García Martínez

Vojtech Brynych

¹,

Ratheka Stormbjorne

¹,

Joshua M. Pearce

^1,2

and

David C. Denkenberger

^1,3,4

Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED), Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

⁴

Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Rosa Casas

Nutrients 2022, 14(3), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030492

Received: 22 December 2021 / Revised: 17 January 2022 / Accepted: 19 January 2022 / Published: 23 January 2022

(This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Public Health)

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Abstract

Abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios (ASRS) following catastrophic events, such as a nuclear war, a large volcanic eruption or an asteroid strike, could prompt global agricultural collapse. There are low-cost foods that could be made available in an ASRS: resilient foods. Nutritionally adequate combinations of these resilient foods are investigated for different stages of a scenario with an effective response, based on existing technology. While macro- and micronutrient requirements were overall met, some—potentially chronic—deficiencies were identified (e.g., vitamins D, E and K). Resilient sources of micronutrients for mitigating these and other potential deficiencies are presented. The results of this analysis suggest that no life-threatening micronutrient deficiencies or excesses would necessarily be present given preparation to deploy resilient foods and an effective response. Careful preparedness and planning—such as stock management and resilient food production ramp-up—is indispensable for an effective response that not only allows for fulfilling people’s energy requirements, but also prevents severe malnutrition. View Full-Text

Keywords: global catastrophic risk; existential risk; nutrition; food security; nuclear winter; resilient food

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pham, A.; García Martínez, J.B.; Brynych, V.; Stormbjorne, R.; Pearce, J.M.; Denkenberger, D.C. Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods. Nutrients 2022, 14, 492. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030492

AMA Style

Pham A, García Martínez JB, Brynych V, Stormbjorne R, Pearce JM, Denkenberger DC. Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods. Nutrients. 2022; 14(3):492. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030492

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pham, Alix, Juan B. García Martínez, Vojtech Brynych, Ratheka Stormbjorne, Joshua M. Pearce, and David C. Denkenberger. 2022. "Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods" Nutrients 14, no. 3: 492. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030492

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