Today, global warming is drastically affecting nutritional quality and quantity of food—and consequently, the health of populations. In our first article, we analyzed the direct effects of climate change on health through nutrition: reduced agricultural yields and lower food quality are driving an increase in diseases linked to malnutrition and undernutrition.
As is often the case with environmental crises, it is the most vulnerable populations who pay the highest price, facing higher mortality rates and greater exposure to health risks. To address these challenges, a holistic and local approach is essential—one that takes into account the multiple factors influencing food security and related health issues. The transformation of the agri-food sector, in synergy with the efforts of healthcare stakeholders, appears to be a sine qua non condition for ensuring sustainable nutritional security and protecting population health in the context of rapid climate change.
In this second article, Alcimed explores the emerging challenges for the food and health ecosystem and outlines the specific issues private stakeholders face in responding to the climate crisis from a nutritional perspective.
As emphasized by Dr. Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General of the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT):
“The interconnection between malnutrition, biodiversity loss, and climate change calls for integrated approaches that simultaneously address multiple dimensions of food systems.”
Food security is therefore a global challenge that requires the commitment not only of governments, but also of the agri-food and healthcare sectors. Reflecting this complexity, the United Nations organized in February 2025 a roundtable dedicated to integrated climate-nutrition action policy and research, highlighting the importance of strengthened coordination between sectors to address these interdependent challenges.
Nutritional imbalances reveal and deepen existing inequalities—both geographically and socially. Climate change exacerbates a dual global nutritional crisis: undernutrition and deficiencies in low-income countries, and overconsumption of ultra-processed foods due to rising food prices in wealthier societies.
The regions most affected by hunger and malnutrition remain Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where access to sufficient, high-quality food continues to be a daily challenge. These disparities are rooted in economic, climatic, and political factors, as well as the fragility of healthcare and food supply systems.
Local, in-depth studies on the causes and impacts of rising temperatures are therefore crucial to developing holistic responses adapted to regional specificities and types of crops.
Women, in particular, are disproportionately affected: in many societies, they eat last and in smaller quantities, while bearing the majority of domestic and agricultural labor. Organizations responsible for food security must therefore design locally and culturally tailored measures to address these inequalities.
Given these social and environmental challenges, the commitment of the agri-food sector is essential to ensuring global food security and mitigating the effects of climate change. This involves not only decarbonizing the food and agricultural industries—which together account for nearly 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions (FAO)1FAO (2021). The State of Food and Agriculture 2021. Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses. Rome.—but also investing in R&D to develop new agricultural technologies capable of adapting to changing growing and breeding conditions (such as drought and soil depletion).
The shift of traditional agricultural regions toward new territories also requires suitable infrastructure—a major challenge for millions of vulnerable communities that often lack the resources needed to adapt. For instance, in Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 60% of farms are threatened by soil degradation and climatic variability.
In this context, regenerative agriculture has emerged as a promising solution. By restoring soil health through practices such as crop rotation, agroforestry, and no-tillage, it enhances biodiversity and increases the soil’s ability to retain nutrients. This, in turn, improves the micronutrient content of crops—such as zinc in rice or vitamin C in tomatoes—thereby helping to enhance the nutritional quality of food2Smith, P., et al. (2017). “Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU).” In Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. IPCC.3Jones, A., et al. (2020). “Soil health and nutrition quality in regenerative agriculture systems.” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 123..
Furthermore, the promotion of local and minimally processed diets, already recommended in Western countries, is recognized for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while improving public health.
These dietary adaptations require close collaboration between governments and agri-food industry stakeholders, who are encouraged to develop products enriched with micronutrients while reducing sugar, salt, and fat content.
The increasing prevalence of chronic, infectious, and cardiometabolic diseases linked to malnutrition has a direct impact on the demand for medicines and medical devices. According to the WHO, between 2030 and 2050, nearly 250,000 additional deaths per year could be attributed to climate change, mainly due to undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
However, this intensification of healthcare delivery also increases the carbon footprint of the health sector, which already accounts for around 5% of global emissions—a vicious cycle linking health, nutrition, and climate.
To address the rising burden of disease, the health sector must adapt to meet growing demand while limiting its environmental impact. Pharmaceutical companies are developing formulations better suited to populations weakened by malnutrition, adjusting dosages to minimize toxicity risks associated with altered pharmacokinetics. For example, some drugs (antituberculosis, antimalarial, or antiretroviral treatments) are reformulated to compensate for reduced absorption in undernourished patients.
In Europe, clinical studies have integrated vitamin D, iron, and zinc status to assess the efficacy of treatments for chronic respiratory infections, demonstrating that correcting deficiencies significantly improves therapeutic response4Taqarort, N., & Chadli, S. (2020). Vitamin D and the risk of acute respiratory infections: Influenza and COVID-19 [in French]. Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme, 34, 211–215.. In the United States, in response to the rise in metabolic diseases linked to processed diets, FDA-supported trials are analyzing the impact of low-sodium and low-sugar diets on the pharmacokinetics of antihypertensive drugs, with the goal of tailoring treatments to patients’ nutritional profiles5Holguera, J. G., & Senn, N. (2021). Health–environment co-benefits and climate change: Concepts and implications for diet, mobility, and contact with nature in clinical practice [in French]. La Presse Médicale Formation, 2, 622–627..
In countries highly vulnerable to climate change, projects funded by the World Diabetes Foundation are exploring how adapted diets can prevent and better manage diabetes—a disease expected to rise due to overnutrition and excessive sugar consumption. Some pharmaceutical companies are also developing access-to-medicine programs, such as insulin distribution initiatives for disadvantaged populations, along with educational and prevention programs in developing countries6Access To Medicine Foundation. (s. d.). Sanofi. https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/company/sanofi.
On the preventive side, healthcare systems are deploying nutrition programs that encourage diets richer in plant-based foods and less dependent on ultra-processed products. In addition, Canadian research has integrated parameters linked to sustainable diets (reducing red meat consumption and increasing plant intake) to better understand health-environment co-benefits on cardiovascular health.
Faced with the complex interconnection between climate change, food security, and health, it is essential to adopt a holistic and localized approach. Regenerative agriculture, the promotion of local and sustainable diets, and the transformation of industrial and healthcare practices are key levers to address these interdependent challenges.
The health sector is also evolving—by integrating nutritional dimensions into clinical research and improving access to care and prevention for populations facing diverse nutritional challenges: undernutrition and deficiencies among vulnerable populations, and malnutrition in industrialized countries.
If your organization wishes to anticipate the impacts of climate change on nutrition and related pathologies, our specialized healthcare and agri-food teams can support you. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
About the author,
Elise, Senior Consultant in Alcimed’s Healthcare team in France
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