Project Summary 

Project Title:

Omega-3 Supplementation to Reduce Externalising Behaviour Problems in Risk-Taking Adolescents: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.

Duration:

2015 - 2018

Target Group:

324 students aged from 8 to 18

Project Objective:

1. assessing the effectiveness of omega-3 dietary supplementation in reducing externalising behaviours in adolescents.
2. assessing whether omega-3 supplementation can enhance childhood neurocognitive and psychophysiological functioning.
3. assessing whether any such enhanced neurocognitive functioning mediates the relationship between omega-3 enhancement and reductions in externalizing behaviour.

Collaborators:

Dr Adrian RAINE(Professor at the University of Pennysalvia), Dr Mei-chun, Tatia LEE (Professor at the University of Hong Kong) and,  Dr Yu GAO (Associate Professor  at the City University of New York)

Source of Funding:

General Research Fund - Hong Kong Dollars 761,183

 

Theoretical Framework

Omega-3 Supplementation

Although there is relatively little systematic research on the effectiveness of omega-3 dietary supplements in reducing levels of antisocial behaviour, initial studies are beginning to raise the possibility that this long-chain fatty acid could have beneficial effects. Initial evidence comes from both correlational and experimental studies. At the correlational level, increased consumption of fish rich in omega-3 has been associated with lower hostility scores in 3,381 male and female adults (Iribarren, Markovitz, Jacobs, Schreiner, Daviglus, & Hibbeln, 2004). In a larger sample of 14,541 pregnant women, mothers who ate more fish during pregnancy had offspring who showed significantly higher levels of prosocial behaviour at age seven years (Hallahan, Hibbeln, Davis, & Garland, 2007). In a cross-national study of 26 counties, Hibbeln (2001) observed a correlation of -0.63 between homicide rates and seafood consumption; countries which ate more fish had lower homicide rates.

Regarding randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in adults, one study of 231 young adult English prisoners, omega-3 and multivitamin treatment for 142 days was associated with a significant 26.3% reduction in antisocial and aggressive behaviour (Gesch, Hammond, Hampson, Eves, & Crowder, 2002). These findings were replicated in an RCT study of institutionalised young offenders in the Netherlands (Zaalberg, Nijman, Bulten, Stroosma, & van der Staak, 2010). In the United States, women with borderline personality disorder who were randomised to either EPA supplementation for two months showed a significant reduction in aggression compared to a mineral oil control group (Zanarini & Frankenburg, 2003). In Thailand, a randomised, double-blind study of docosahexaenoic (DHA) dietary supplementation showed a significant post-treatment reduction in aggression in adult university workers, but not in villagers (Hamazaki, Thienprasert, Kheovichai, Samuhaseneetoo, Nagasawa, & Watanabe, 2002). More recently, an RCT of undergraduates from Wales documented significant reductions in aggression after omega-3 and multivitamin supplementation (Long & Benton, 2013).

Regarding child samples in Japan, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fish-oil fortification of foods conducted on 166 9-12-year-old children showed that fish-oil reduced post-treatment physical aggression and impulsivity scores in girls but not boys (Itomura, Hamazaki, Sawazaki, Kobayashi, Terasawa, Watanabe, & Hamazaki, 2005). In this study, blood assays demonstrated only a marginally significant (p = .06) post-treatment increase in DHA in the treatment group, which may partly contribute to the mixed findings. Finally, in the United States, a four-month randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fatty acid supplementation in 50 children showed a significant 42.7% reduction in conduct disorder problems (Stevens, Zhang, Peck, Kuczek, Grevstad, Mahon, Zentall, Arnold, & Burgess, 2003).

 

Selected Publications 

Raine, A., Fung, A. L. C., Gao, Y., & Lee, T. M. C. (Revised). Omega-3 supplementation, child antisocial behavior, and psychopathic personality a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, stratified, parallel group trial. British Journal of Nutrition. 

Fung, A. L. C. (In Press). The significance of family structure in internalizing (anxious/depressed) and externalizing (aggressive/delinquent) problems among Chinese adolescents. Applied Research in Quality of Life. 

Fung, A. L. C. (2019). Adolescent reactive and proactive aggression, and bullying in Hong Kong: Prevalence, psychosocial correlates, and prevention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(6), S65-S72. 

Gao, Y., Zhang, W., Eisenbarth, H., Fung, A. L. C., Lu, M., Raine, A., Lee, T., & Li, X. (2018). P3 amplitude and psychopathic traits in youths: Distinct contributions of the grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsivity traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 87-94. 

Fung, A. L. C. (2017). Intervention for reactive/proactive aggressors and aggressive/pure victims of school bullying in Hong Kong: A review and new developments. Neuropsychiatry, 7(6), 956-960.