The Curse of Plenty: The Green Revolution and the Rise in Chronic Disease

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sekhri, Sheetal; Shastry, Gauri Kartini
• 署名单位: University of Virginia; Wellesley College
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20220621
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 1-33
• 关键词: diet-induced obesity; insulin-resistance; fetal origins; rice intake; nutrition intervention; economic consequences; offspring hyperphagia; glycemic index; child health; adult

摘要

The rising rate of chronic disease is a leading driver of the global disease burden. Yet, its determinants are not fully understood. Exploiting the Green Revolution and its expansion in historically groundwater-rich Indian districts, we examine the unanticipated contribution of agricultural productivity growth to the rise in chronic, diet-related diseases. We find that areas with greater adoption of new staple varieties saw an increase in diabetes in men born after the introduction of high-yield crops. We find suggestive evidence that diet is an important mechanism, such as heterogeneous impacts with respect to dietary habits and increases in household calorie consumption.