People who regularly eat fish or take fish oil supplements are getting omega-3 fatty acids, which play a critical role in brain function. Research has long shown a basis in the brain for aggressive and violent behavior, and that poor nutrition is a risk factor for behavior problems. Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine has for years been studying whether omega-3 supplementation could therefore reduce aggressive behavior, publishing five randomized controlled trials from different countries.
He found significant effects but wanted to know whether these findings extended beyond his laboratory. Now, Raine has found further evidence for the efficacy of omega-3 supplementation by conducting a meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials. It shows modest short-term effects-;he estimates this intervention translates to a 30% reduction in aggression-;across age, gender, diagnosis, treatment duration, and dosage.
Raine is the lead author of a new paper published in the journal Aggressive and Violent Behavior , with Lia Brodrick of the Perelman School of Medicine. "I think the time has come to implement omega-3 supplementation to reduce aggression, irrespective of whether the setting is the community, the clinic, or the criminal justice system," Raine says. "Omega-3 is not a magic bullet that is going to completely solve the problem of violence in society.
But can it help? Based on these findings, we firmly believe it can, and we should start to act on the new knowledge we have." H.
