Diet and Violent Behavior

[Guest guest]

You know, I was going to leave this alone, but I just

couldn't. And, please, I don't want to offend anyone personally. But, I

just can't believe anyone would actually write such a thing as:

" Having a bad diet is now a better predictor of future violence than

past violent behavior. " . Looking at one eats, or has eaten as a

predictor of violent behavior is, well, so ridiculous I can hardly

believe anyone would print it, let alone believe it. There is no question

that the right diet, vitamins, minerals, etc can make one healthier

physically. And, perhaps the lack of certain things aggravates certain

behaviors. One must bear in mind, however, that the study was done on

people who were already incarcerated, were already criminals, and were

already violent. I know, and have known people with atrocious diets, who

couldn't possibly have gotten even close to the vitamins and minerals

ones needs, and not one of them is, or was violent. I've known a number

of people who were really poor - who were lucky if they got a candy bar

for dinner. Or a Slim Jim. And, none were ever, or ever became violent.

Some actually grew up and become productive people. Not a one even beats

his wife, or she her husband.

I know people are always trying to figure out why folks behave they way

they do. There have got to be reasons - we just have to figure them out.

So we look to different avenues, trying to figure things out. But - can't

we be reasonable about it? There is no question that proper nutrition

helps concentration and the ability to learn. But, to even consider that

diet or supplements, or vitamins and minerals will fundamentally change

what a person is, has become, or will be, is just plain nonsense - in my

opinion, not having conducted a study, just having spent more than 50

years studying those around me. While it may be true that many who are

anti-social have poor diets, not all who have poor diets are anti-social.

Could it be that one eats a poor diet because one is anti-social,

not the other way around?

Lynn

 

Diet and Violent Behavior – " Having a bad diet is now a

better

predictor of future violence than past violent behavior. In fact,

predicting future criminal behavior from a criminal past has

statistically little better than a random chance of being correct.

Likewise, a diagnosis of psychopathy, generally perceived as being a

better predictor than a criminal past, is still miles behind what

you

can predict just from looking at what a person eats. " —

Researcher

Bernard Gesch, author of a landmark study on diet and criminal

behavior, quoted by Pat Thomas in The Ecologist, April 2006

Dietary supplements slash prisoners'

antisocial acts

Dietary supplements can dramatically reduce antisocial acts

in a prison population, according to a new large-scale study in the

prestigious British Journal of Psychiatry. C. Bernard Gesch and

colleagues, calling their findings " remarkable, " say that the

approach " looks to be cheap, highly effective, and

humane. "

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized experiment, Gesch et

al. recruited 231 young adult prisoners, assigning half to receive

dietary supplements and the other half to receive a placebo. The placebo

and active-treatment groups were matched according to their number of

disciplinary incidents and their progress through the prison system.

There were no significant differences between the two groups in IQ,

verbal ability, anger, anxiety, or depression.

Subjects remained on the supplements, which contained vitamins, minerals,

and essential fatty acids, for an average of 142 days. Compared to the

placebo group, the researchers report, prisoners taking the active

supplements committed an average of 26.3 percent fewer offenses. Compared

to baseline rates, there was a 35.1 percent reduction in offenses in the

supplemented group. " The greatest reduction occurred for the most

serious incidents including violence, " the researchers note, with a

37 percent drop seen in such incidents. No side effects were seen in

subjects taking the supplements.

Gesch and colleagues conclude,

" If these findings are replicated, a potential implication is that

the dietary requirements for good health are also supportive of social

behavior. " They note that a number of the

prisoners they studied lacked even a rudimentary knowledge of nutrition,

and that " poor food choices by the prisoners typically resulted in

lower nutrient intakes, most notably of minerals. " Even though the

prisoners were offered a relatively healthy diet while incarcerated, the

researchers say, they consumed less than the recommended amounts of

several essential nutrients.

" It is not advocated that nutrition is the only cause of antisocial

behavior, " the researchers say, " but the difference in outcome

between the active and placebo groups could not be explained by ethnic or

social factors, as they were controlled for by the randomized

design. "

Gesch et al.'s research supports previous findings by Stephen

Schoenthaler and colleagues, whose studies show that nutritional

supplementation can reduce antisocial acts by incarcerated children or

adults, as well as reducing antisocial behavior and increasing IQ in

" at risk " school children (see related article,

Crime

Times, 2000, Vol.

6,

No. 2, Pages 3 & 6). Schoenthaler's dietary supplement research

on young adult offenders in California revealed a 38 percent lower rate

of serious rule violations in the group receiving supplements. Two other

large, placebo-controlled studies by Schoenthaler et al., one of a group

of " at risk " elementary school children and the other of

adolescent delinquents, also revealed that those receiving dietary

supplements showed a marked drop in violent and non-violent antisocial

acts.

Schoenthaler says of the Gesch et al. findings, " This is extremely

welcome news, because a scientist in Great Britain... has independently

confirmed what we've been dedicating ourselves to in studies across the

United States for the past 20 years. Thousands of children and adults

have now participated in these international studies.

The most important finding here is

that violent behavior can be reduced significantly at a very low cost,

making our schools and correctional institutions much

safer. "

Similar findings were reported by Richard Carlton et

al. (see related article,

Crime

Times, 2000, Vol.

6,

No. 3, Pages 1 & 3), who found that supplements improved mood,

behavior, and school performance in learning disabled children.

Bishop Hugh Montefiore of Natural Justice, a U.K. research charity that

sponsored the new research by Gesch and colleagues, said, " The study

is of great importance not only to those who work inside prisons but also

more widely in the community. "

Sir David Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, agreed, saying,

" If healthy eating is part of a healthy lifestyle, and a healthy

lifestyle is a crime-free lifestyle, I hope that [the prison service]

will look seriously at exploiting the evidence presented to them. "

And clinical psychology professor Ron Blackburn, noting that most

approaches to reducing offending require extensive resources, says,

" This research program promises to have an impact on antisocial

behavior with minimal intervention and deserves full

support. "

-----

 

" Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals and essential fatty

acids on the antisocial behaviour of young adult prisoners: randomized,

placebo-controlled trial, " C. Bernard Gesch, Sean M. Hammond, Sarah

E. Hampson, Anita Eves, and Martin J. Crowder, British Journal of

Psychiatry, Vol. 181, July 2002, 22-28. Address: C. Bernard

Gesch, University Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford, Parks

Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.

-- and --

 

" Healthy eating can 'cut crime,' " BBC News, June 25,

2002.

-- and --

 

" Professor Schoenthaler's nutrition research reveals link between

vitamin supplements and reduced violent behavior, " press release,

California State University, Stanislaus, July 3, 2002.

-- see also --

 

" Addiction and criminal behaviour, " S. Schoenthaler and I. D.

Bier, in Food Allergy and Intolerance (2nd edition), edited by J.

Brostoff and S. Challacombe, W.B. Saunders Publishing, July 2002,

985-1000; " The effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on juvenile

delinquency among American schoolchildren: a randomized, double-blind

placebo- controlled trial, " S. Schoenthaler and I. D. Bier,

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol. 6,

No. 1, 2000, 7-17; and, " The effect of randomized vitamin-mineral

supplementation on violent and non-violent antisocial behavior among

incarcerated juveniles, " S. J. Schoenthaler, S. P. Amos, W. E.

Doras, M. A. Kelly, G. D. Muedeking, and L. A. Wakefield, Journal of

Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 7, 1997, 343-

352.

 

 

http://www.autismwebsite.com/crimetimes/02c/w02cp2.htm

 

[Guest guest]

I also believe there is a connection between diet and behavior. Just

look at what happens with ADHD kids when you remove sugar, wheat, and

artificial junk from their diets. They calm down. This was proven

back in the 70's by Benjamin Feingold (creator of the Feingold Diet).

Diet really does make a difference - for everybody.

 

Carol

http://www.bluegreensolutions.com