Omega-3s Reduce Family Aggression
Omega-3 fatty acids are used to improve the behavior of children and parents and, therefore, to reduce family tensions.
Scientists from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and the University of Pennsylvania have carried out a curious study to verify the effect of omega-3 essential fatty acids on levels of aggressiveness in families.
To do this, they began by giving 100 children a 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids along with a fruit drink. Another group of 100 children received the fruit drink, but without the supplement to serve as a control.
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce situations of psychological violence
After 6 months, the parents answered a questionnaire and it was found that the children who had taken omega-3s had significantly improved their behavior at school and at home, which had reduced family stress situations. The good results continued after 12 months.
Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, co-author of the study, has explained that omega-3 is capable of reducing psychological aggressions in the family.
Better if parents take it too
And he is convinced that the results would be even better if parents also took a supplement from this family of essential fatty acids.
“Overall, the findings suggest that interventions designed to reduce childhood behavior problems may also have the added benefit of reducing family violence as a whole,” conclude the authors of the study, published in the journal Aggressive Behavior .
How to get omega-3s from food
Although the study refers to the benefits of supplementation, the doses used can be obtained through food.
The most abundant plant foods in omega-3s are flax seeds, chia seeds and sacha inchi. Walnuts also provide it in abundance.
These products contain alpha-linolenic acid (the parent of the omega-3 family), which the body stores and transforms in the liver and brain into the other two omega-3s, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA ).
In the omnivorous diet, the main sources are fatty fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel. Fish directly provide EPA and DHA.
Other beneficial effects of omega-3s
Omega-3s are among the most studied nutrients. Not a week goes by without a new find, so the list of properties is already very long.
In addition to moderating impulsivity, as the study points out, they combat depression, anxiety, sudden mood swings, sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating.
But above all, its benefits for the cardiovascular system are known : they reduce triglycerides, “bad” LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.
They are also anti-inflammatory (reduce some types of pain, such as menstrual) and participate in the prevention of some types of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Other beneficial properties are that they prevent macular degeneration, and take care of the intestinal microbiota and the liver.
