Penn neurocriminologist finds evidence that omega-3 fatty acids reduce aggression in new study

Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine has found further evidence indicating that omega-3 fatty acids may be able to reduce aggressive behavior in people of all ages and genders.

Raine’s research has previously demonstrated the beneficial effects of omega-3 on cognitive functioning and its ability to reduce both reactive aggression and proactive aggression in the short term. In a recent meta-analysis published in the journal Aggressive and Violent Behavior, Raine, along with Perelman School of Medicine clinical research coordinator Lia Brodrick, found that the efficacy of omega-3 extends beyond laboratory settings.

Their study shows that an estimated 30% reduction in aggression was found across 29 randomized controlled trials in 19 independent laboratories. These short-term effects generalize across age, gender, diagnosis, treatment duration, and 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,” Raine told Penn Today. “Omega-3 is not a magic bullet that is going to completely solve the problem of violence in society. But can it help? Based on these findings, we firmly believe it can, and we should start to act on the new knowledge we have.”

Raine highlighted the potential of omega-3 to decrease violence levels in society, but also acknowledged that it is not an all-encompassing solution.

Moving forward, Raine plans to compare the efficacy of self-reported measures of aggression to observer reports and to investigate whether brain imaging reveals that omega-3 supplementation improves prefrontal functioning. He also aims to study the role of genetic variation and the long-term effects of omega-3 on reducing aggression, as only one of the 19 labs conducted follow-up research in the current study.