I heard from a highly non-authoritative source (translation: some random poster on Metafilter) that, in a study, prisoners given omega-3 supplements showed a noteable decrease in violent activities compared to prisoners given a placebo. The drop was claimed to be 40%.
Now, this sounds interesting, but I have trouble believing that such a finding could be relatively unknown. Does anybody know where to find more information about this study? Or will one of you tell me, “Fool! You’ve been snookered!”
What is an “omega-three”?
Omega-3 fatty acids
Reknowned as the (supposed) ‘brain food factor’ in fish.
From : http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/38/9/43
I would tread carefully when evaluating the claims.
I have read some veterinary literature that shows that puppies given a diet rich in omega-3s learn more quickly then control puppies.
Um, the article didn’t say anything about use on prisoners that I could find. It detailed that in one small study, young people who received the supplements regularly were reported as being less violent later in life than those who did not.
A better question to ask based on this study would be:
“Can a better diet during the developmental years reduce antisocial behavior later in life?”
Personally, those pills just give me the runs.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315812&highlight=free
Several articles on the subject are listed in that thread. The one you are looking for is this one
http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030514-000001.html
It is probably unknown because it is weird. Its like claiming transcendental meditation can cut crime rates by 30%, but there are 500+ studies on that subject and nobody knows about it because it is too out there to be taken seriously.