These fatty acids, often taken as fish oil supplements and known for supporting mental and physical well-being, may also help reduce aggression, according to a 2024 study. Read more Keep calm and try omega-3. This result did not appear out of nowhere. Omega-3 has previously been linked to a lower risk of schizophrenia, and aggression and antisocial behavior are thought to be partly influenced by poor nutrition. In other words, what we eat can affect our brain chemistry.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania built on earlier, smaller studies that had looked at the impact of omega-3 supplements on aggression. Their meta-analysis examined 29 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 3,918 participants. Across all these trials, they found a modest but clear short-term effect: up to a 28 percent reduction in aggression, regardless of age, gender, medical diagnosis, treatment duration, or dosage.
“I think the time has come to implement omega-3 supplementation to reduce aggression, irrespective of whether the setting is the community, the clinic, or the criminal justice system,” said neurocriminologist Adrian Raine when the meta-analysis was published.
The trials included in the study, conducted between 1996 and 2024, lasted an average of 16 weeks. They covered a broad range of participants, from children aged 16 and under to adults in their 50s and 60s.
In summary, the evidence indicates that omega-3 supplementation has a consistent, short-term impact on reducing aggression across diverse populations and settings, though the magnitude of the effect is modest and may vary with individual factors and study design.