Fish oil supplements containing omega-3 have long been touted as good for heart health. A new study has found they also reduce aggression. Researchers say the safe, common supplements should be used everywhere from the playground to the prison system.
Overt acts of aggression include verbal and physical violence and bullying. Then, there are covert signs like vandalism and property damage, fire-setting, and theft. Both can negatively affect relationships and have legal consequences. It goes without saying that, on many levels, society would be better off if aggressive behaviors were reduced. A new study may have discovered a way of doing that.
The study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) found that commonplace omega-3 supplements reduced aggression, regardless of age or gender.
“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,” said Adrian Raine, a Penn neurocriminologist and the lead and corresponding author of the study. “Omega-3 is not a magic bullet that is going to 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.”
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