Diet & behaviour (2007)
This study looked at the impact of diet on behaviour. A review of five well-designed studies found that elimination diets reduced hyperactivity-related symptoms. The picture was of children potentially responding to a wide range of food items although the pattern was individual to the child. Supplementation with essential fatty acids decreased violence although there was no evidence of an influence on hyperactivity. Three well-designed studies have reported that vitamin/mineral supplementation reduced anti-social behaviour. There are also findings of an association between a tendency to poor blood sugar balance and aggression. Many responses to diet were idiosyncratic and involved a wide range of foods interacting with individual differences in physiology.
D Benton, ‘The impact of diet on anti-social, violent and criminal behaviour’, Neurosci Biobehav Rev.;31(5):752-74, 2007