Children can show aggressive tendencies for many causes (mood disorders, impulsivity, frustration, etc.) and the standard treatment used to improve these behaviours is cognitive behavioural therapy. This therapy focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and provides the child ways to deal with difficult situations rather than to emotionally react to something.

Several studies have suggested that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may reduce aggressive behavior in young adult English prisoners, in Dutch young adult offenders (with reductions of 30 to 37% in incidents in both studies), in young adult Welshmen (in which supplementation with DHA decreased aggression and impulsivity), and in Mauritian children (with long-term improvements in behavior problems), among others. As we have already explained on other posts, prisoners with lower omega-3 index (EPA + DHA level in red blood cells) are more aggressive and it has been observed that omega-3 supplementation contributes to a decrease their aggressive behaviour, and that DHA intake prevents extra-aggression from increasing at times of mental stress in young students. Taken together, these studies suggest that supplementation with omega-3 can reduce aggressive and antisocial behavior in adults and children.

In the case of children, a recent study has evaluated whether supplementation efficacy may be enhanced using it in conjunction with other treatments. This study used omega-3 supplementation (over three months), combined with cognitive behavior therapy, in order to reduce childhood aggression. The results showed that children with a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and omega-3 supplementation, and also those who only received omega-3 supplementation, reported less aggressive behaviours in comparison to the groups receiving only cognitive behavioural therapy.

However, the changes only showed a short-term effect, an indication that ongoing supplementation may be needed to maintain the behavioural improvements.

Referencias:

• Gesch CB, Hammond SM, Hampson SE et al. Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids on the antisocial behaviour of young adult prisoners. Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Jul; 181():22-8.
• Hamazaki T, Sawazaki S, Itomura M, Asaoka E, Nagao Y, Nishimura N, et al. The effect of docosahexaenoic acid on aggression in young adults: a double blind study. J Clin Invest. 1996;97(4):1129-33.
• Long SJ, Benton D. A double-blind trial of the effect of docosahexaenoic acid and vitamin and mineral supplementation on aggression, impulsivity, and stress. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2013 May;28(3):238-47. doi: 10.1002/hup.2313. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
• Meyer BJ, Byrne MK, Collier C et al. Baseline omega-3 index correlates with aggressive and attention deficit disorder behaviours in adult prisoners. PLoS One. 2015 Mar 20;10(3):e0120220. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120220. eCollection 2015.
• Raine A, Cheney RA, Ho R et al. Nutritional supplementation to reduce child aggression: a randomized, stratified, single-blind, factorial trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2016 May 11. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12565. [Epub ahead of print]
• Raine A, Portnoy J, Liu J et al. Reduction in behavior problems with omega-3 supplementation in children aged 8-16 years: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, stratified, parallel-group trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2015 May;56(5):509-20. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12314. Epub 2014 Aug 22.
• Zaalberg A, Nijman H, Bulten E et al. Effects of nutritional supplements on aggression, rule-breaking, and psychopathology among young adult prisoners. Aggress Behav. 2010 Mar-Apr; 36(2):117-26.