Malnutrition Leads to Antisocial Behavior

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Malnutrition Leads to Antisocial Behavior

 

Mon Nov 22, 5:02 PM ET

 

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MONDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- Children who are malnourished in their

first few years of life are more likely to be aggressive and antisocial

throughout childhood and into their late teens, says a University of

Southern California study.

 

The 14-year study tracked more than 1,000 children on Mauritius, an island

in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. The children were ethnic

Indian, Creole, Chinese, English and French. Researchers assessed the

children's nutrition at age 3.

 

The researchers found that malnourished children showed 41 percent greater

aggression at age 8 than properly nourished children, 10 percent greater

aggression and delinquency at age 11, and 51 percent greater violent and

antisocial behavior at age 17.

 

" Poor nutrition, characterized by zinc, iron, vitamin B and protein

deficiencies, leads to low IQ, which leads to later antisocial behavior.

These are all nutrients linked to brain development, " study co-author and

psychology professor Adrian Raine said in a prepared statement.

 

The study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Pyschiatry.

 

" These are the first findings to show that malnutrition in the early

postnatal years is associated with behavior problems through age 17, " study

author Jianghong Liu, a postdoctoral fellow with USC's Social Science

Research Institute, said in a prepared statement.

 

" Identifying the early risk factors for this behavior in childhood and

adolescence is an important first step for developing successful prevention

programs for adult violence, " she said.

 

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Poor diet linked to bad behaviour

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4032449.stm

Monday, 22 November, 2004, 14:12 GMT

 

Experts believe a poor diet can lead to teenagers becoming bullies

Children who have a poor diet are more likely to become aggressive and

anti-social, US researchers believe.

 

The University of Southern California found a lack of zinc, iron, vitamin B

and protein in the first three years caused bad behaviour later on.

 

At eight years old, children fed poorly were more likely to be irritable

and pick fights than those fed healthily.

 

Aged 11, they swore, cheated and got into fights, and at 17, they stole,

bullied others and took drugs.

 

The researchers analysed the development of more than 1,000 children on

Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, over 14

years.

 

They found the more malnurished the children were, the greater the

anti-social behaviour later on.

 

 

" I would not dismiss the study out-of-hand but I would be surprised if diet

plays a big role " -Dr Ann Hagell

 

The team took into account factors such as social background, health and

education, the American Journal of Psychiatry reported.

 

Report co-author Adrian Raine said parents could prevent their children

developing bad behaviour by ensuring they get better diets.

 

" Poor nutrition leads to low IQ, which leads to later anti-social behaviour.

 

" At a societal level, should parents be thinking more about what kids are

eating?

 

" There's more to anti-social behaviour than nutrition, but we argue that it

is an important missing link.

 

Risk factors

 

" Biology is not destiny, we can change the biological disposition to

anti-social and aggressive behaviour. "

 

Fellow researcher Jianghong Liu, of the university's Social Science

Research Institute, agreed.

 

" Identifying the early risk factors for this behaviour in childhood and

adolescence is an important first step for developing successful prevention

programmes for adult violence. "

 

But Dr Ann Hagell, research development adviser at the Nuffield Foundation,

a charitable trust which funds social and education research, raised doubts

about the findings.

 

" I would not dismiss the study out-of-hand but I would be surprised if diet

plays a big role.

 

" In my experience diet is not part of the explanation.

 

" It can cause hyper activity disorders, but anti-social behaviour is more

influenced by parenting and genetics and teen peer pressure in teenage groups. "