Administering supplements of omega-3s, vitamins and minerals may reduce the number of violent and aggressive episodes in prisoners, according to a new study from The Netherlands. The findings follow those of a British study published in 2002, which reported that supplementing young adult prisoners with micronutrients and essential fatty acids resulted in an average 35% reduction in disciplinary offences.

In the Dutch study, two hundred and twenty-one young adult prisoners (aged 18-25) received nutritional supplements containing vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids or placebos, over a period of 1-3 months. Supplementation was associated with a 34 per cent reduction in violent incidents; by contrast a 14 per cent increase in the number of reported incidents in participants in the placebo group was reported

Other assessments, however, revealed no significant reductions in aggressiveness or psychiatric symptoms.

Given that the results of this study directly reflect those of the earlier British study, they are very exciting. However they are still preliminary, a large scale trial is warranted to confirm the effect of micronutrient/fatty acid supplementation on behaviour. The authors conclude: “As the incidents reported concerned aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour as observed by the prison staff, the results are considered to be promising. However, as no significant improvements were found in a number of other (self-reported) outcome measures, the results should be interpreted with caution.”

Click here to view the study abstract.