Although there are many factors that contribute to criminal behavior, a number of researchers have found that poor diet can influence how the brain works, leading to their belief that poor nutrition may be linked to an increase in aggressive and anti-social acts. Experiments that involve treating such behavior with nutritional supplements have resulted in a significant decrease in criminal behavior among the individuals who participated in the study.
Studies
After reviewing studies performed from 1985 to 1995 involving food and behavior, nutritionist Joan Breakey, advisor in nutrition and dietetics to the Department of Health in Queensland, Australia, concluded that diet is linked to how children act. She reported that problems such as mood changes, sleep disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were significantly related to what children eat. Other researchers found links between aggressive behavior and specific nutrients, as noted by CrimeTimes.org.
Serotonin
As noted by Melvyn Werbach, M.D., one possible explanation for an association between the brain and poor impulse control, violence and aggression involves low levels of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter. This brain chemical influences mood, aggression, impulsiveness and sexual activity. Because your body uses the essential amino acid tryptophan to make serotonin, inadequate consumption of tryptophan sources like dairy foods, meat, fish and eggs may contribute to low serotonin levels.
Iron and Thiamine
Low levels of iron and thiamine may also be linked to aggressive behavior. For example, people with slight deficiencies in thiamin, a B vitamin, were observed to be highly irritable, aggressive and impulsive. Supplementation with thiamine significantly improved these symptoms. Also, iron deficiency in a group of adolescents under incarceration was observed to be twice as prevalent compared to other teens. Data from animal studies show that a lack of iron lowers the transmission of dopamine, another neurotransmitter.
Additional Information
Deficiencies of selenium and folic acid have been linked to depression, which is a risk factor for aggression. Furthermore, clinical trials at Aylesbury jail in the UK in which prisoners were given supplements including essential fatty acids, multivitamins and minerals showed a 37 percent decrease in violent offenses committed there. According to Felicity Lawrence, writer for "The Guardian" newspaper, the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also found that giving aggressive alcoholics fish oil decreased their anger level by one-third, as measured by hostility and irritability scales.
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