A recent study from UMass Lowell shows that omega 3 supplement could reduce disruptive, even abusive behavior.
Previous research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids are thought to improve brain health in children and adults.
The goal of the study is to see if omega 3 help intervene before anti-social behavior escalates into crime.
The team studied hundreds of youths in Pittsburgh.
They found that the youths with lower resting heart rates were more likely to act out as a form of sensation-seeking, including anti-social behavior.
This can be especially problematic for individuals living where there are few options for positive forms of stimulation.
Giving children omega-3 fatty acid supplements could reduce disruptive behavior, which in turn had a positive effect on their parents.
It could make them less likely to argue with each other and engage in other verbal abuse.
The researchers suggest that a low resting heart rate might be an acquired, adaptive trait.
The lower heart rate protects you by blunting reaction to stressful events, but it can also lead to stimulation-seeking behavior.
Jill Portnoy, an assistant professor in UMass Lowell’s School of Criminology and Justice Studies, is one study researcher.
The study is published in the scholarly journal Aggressive Behavior.
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Journal reference: Jill Portnoy et al, Reductions of intimate partner violence resulting from supplementing children with omega-3 fatty acids: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, stratified, parallel-group trial, Aggressive Behavior (2018). DOI: 10.1002/ab.21769.
