Stay calm and try omega-3. Fatty acids, available as dietary supplements via fish oil capsules and believed to contribute to mental and physical well-being, may also reduce aggression, according to a 2024 study.
These findings didn’t come out of nowhere: omega-3s have already been linked to the prevention of schizophrenia, while aggression and antisocial behavior are thought to be partly due to a lack of nutrition. What we eat can influence our brain chemistry.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania built on previous, smaller studies on the effects of omega-3 supplementation on aggression. Their meta-analysis looked at 29 randomized controlled trials involving 3,918 participants in total.
Across all trials, a modest but notable short-term effect was seen, resulting in up to a 28% reduction in aggression across several different variables (including age, gender, medical diagnosis, duration and dosage of treatment).
“I think now is the time to implement omega-3 supplementation to reduce aggression, whether it’s in the community, the clinic or the criminal justice system,” said Dr. neurocriminologist Adrian Raine upon publication of the meta-analysis.
The trials included in the study, carried out between 1996 and 2024, lasted an average of 16 weeks. They covered a variety of demographics, from children aged 16 and under to people aged 50 to 60.
Additionally, reductions in aggression included both reactive aggression (in response to provocation) and proactive aggression (behavior planned in advance). Before this study, it was unclear whether omega-3s could help combat these different types of stress.
Although larger studies over longer periods of time are needed to further establish this relationship, it strengthens our understanding of how fish oil pills and the omega-3s they contain might benefit the brain.
“At the very least, parents seeking treatment for an aggressive child should know that in addition to any other treatment their child is receiving, an extra serving or two of fish each week might also help,” Raine said.
Researchers believe the way omega-3s reduce inflammation and maintain vital brain processes could help regulate aggression. There are still many unanswered questions, but the team suggests there is enough evidence to investigate this further.
Add to that studies that show medications derived from fish oil can help reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks, strokes, and other heart health problems, and there appear to be many benefits to add omega-3 to your diet.
“Omega-3s are not a silver bullet that will completely solve the problem of violence in society,” Raine said.
“But can it help? Based on these results, we firmly believe it is possible, and we should start acting on the new knowledge we have.”
The research was published in Aggression and violent behavior.
An earlier version of this article was published in June 2024.
