Improving behaviour through nutrition: a study of young offenders

The Publication

Overview

This is a part replication of our 2002 Aylesbury Study directed by Bernard Gesch, using nutritional supplementation to assess the effect on aggression and rule breaking in young male Dutch prisoners. Consistent with the Aylesbury findings, this study found that nutritional supplementation led to a significant reduction in staff-reported violent incidents by the incarcerated men compared to the placebo group. 

Study design

This was a double blind randomised control design, in which 221 young prisoners were randomly allocated to receive either placebo or nutritional supplements. The latter contained a mixture of omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The placebo contained starch and olive oil.

Prior to supplementation the participants completed questionnaires assessing self-reported aggression and received various behavioural tests. Prison staff also rated the level of aggressive behaviour at baseline and continued to track behaviour and violent incidents throughout the trial.

The number of violent incidents decreased by 34% in the active group, whereas the placebo group increased their incidents by 14% (p=0.0017). However, no significant differences were observed in the cognitive, personality or behavioural measures. 

Our response

This research confirmed the strong effect of nutritional supplementation on aggressive behaviour, with results showing a reduction in the number of violent incidents reported by prison staff. However, it is not possible to decipher the reason for these effects, as nutritional status was not measured prior or during the study. Future work is required to objectively examine the links between nutritional status (measured via blood samples) on reductions in anti-social behaviour. 

Nonetheless, the study still showed that improved nutrition can influence aggressive behaviour. If aggression and anti-social behaviour can be so greatly influenced by diet, the safety of the prison community will not only be increased but with potential, multiple knock-on benefits to correctional systems in general. Change in diet to reflect the nutrients used in the trials and/or supplementation in specific populations may offer a low-cost solution to the mitigation of aggressive behaviour, improving the general mental health of offenders.