We live in violent times. Americans are seven times more likely to die of homicide and twenty times more likely to die from shooting than people in other developed countries.1
Stephen J. Schoenthaler, PhD, a professor of criminal justice at California State University, researched the effect of nutrition on cognition and behavior in school children, prisoners and institutionalized juveniles. He reported a significantly lower level of antisocial behavior after dietary modifications which involved decreasing sugar consumption during a three-month and nine-month period respectively. In fact, as of 1983, at least nine separate institutions in three states had found that the behavior of their juveniles improved significantly after the elimination of high-sugar junk foods.2
Because the brain uses mainly glucose for fuel, when glucose levels fall or fluctuate widely, neurons will not be supplied a constant source of energy and may “misfire,” affecting thinking and reasoning patterns. High sugar and starchy carbohydrate intake can lead to excessive insulin release, resulting in falling blood sugar and hypoglycemia. 2
Added sugars are estimated to contribute 74% to 80% of the dietary fructose consumed.3
Nutritional factors are neglected for a number of reasons. Much of the literature on nutritional treatments has yet to evolve beyond the early stages of scientific investigation. Physicians learn so little about nutritional medicine during their training that they feel too uninformed to include it in their practices .4
3 Steps To Take To Build A Public Health Infastucture To Prevent Youth Violence
Nutritional Guidelines for SNAP
Healthcare Screenings for Reactive Hypoglycemia
A National School Lunch Menu Comprehensive Guideline (For Reducing Sugar Intake From Processed FoodStuffs)
REFERENCES
1. Woolf SH and Laudan A, Editors; U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. National Research Council; Institute of Medicine. 2013. The National Academies Press.Washington DC. Read http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13497#orgs
2. Schoenthaler SJ. The effect of sugar on the treatment and control of antisocial behavior: A double-blind study on an incarcerated juvenile population. International Journal of Biosocial Research.1982;3:1-9; Schoenthaler SJ. Diet and crime: An empirical examination of the value of nutrition in the control and treatment of incarcerated juvenile offenders. International Journal of Biosocial Research. 1983; 4: 25-39; Schoenthaler SJ Diet and delinquency: Empirical testing of seven theories. International Journal of Biosocial Research. 1985; 7: 108-131; Schoenthaler SJ & Doraz WE. Types of offenses which can be reduced in an institutional setting using nutritional intervention: A preliminary empirical evaluation. International Journal of Biosocial Research; 1983 4: 74-84.
3.
Journal Of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 7, No. 1, 1995