Omega 3 fatty acids can control anti-social behaviour in kids

Omega 3 fatty acids have many health benefits. Also a new research by University of Pennsylvania has pointed to omega-3 as an intervention for childhood behavioral problems.

"As a protective factor for reducing behaviour problems in children, nutrition is a promising option; it is relatively inexpensive and can be easy to manage," said Jianghong Liu, associate professor at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in the US.

During the study, 100 children aged eight to 16 received a drink containing a gram of omega-3 once a day for six months. The control group also consisted of 100 children who received the same drink without the supplement. The researchers had parents assess their children behaviour such as depression, anxiety and withdrawal.

"Both groups showed improvement in both the externalising and internalising behaviour problems after six months," said Adrian Raine from University of Pennsylvania. But what was particularly interesting was what was happening at 12 months. The control group returned to the baseline while the omega-3 group continued to go down. In the end, we saw a 42 percent reduction in scores on externalising behaviour and 62 percent reduction in internalizing behaviour," he added.

The study was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

By Lizitha