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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI118507

The effect of docosahexaenoic acid on aggression in young adults. A placebo-controlled double-blind study.

T Hamazaki, S Sawazaki, M Itomura, E Asaoka, Y Nagao, N Nishimura, K Yazawa, T Kuwamori, and M Kobayashi

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

Find articles by Sawazaki, S. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

Find articles by Itomura, M. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

Find articles by Kuwamori, T. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.

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First published February 15, 1996 - More info

Published in Volume 97, Issue 4 on February 15, 1996
J Clin Invest. 1996;97(4):1129–1133. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI118507.
Copyright © 1996, The American Society for Clinical Investigation.

First published February 15, 1996 - Version history
Abstract

41 students took either docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich oil capsules containing 1.5-1.8 grams DHA/day (17 females and 5 males) or control oil capsules containing 97% soybean oil plus 3% fish oil (12 females and 7 males) for 3 mo in a double-blind fashion. They took a psychological test (P-F Study) and Stroop and dementia-detecting tests at the start and end of the study. The present study started at the end of summer vacation and ended in the middle of mental stress such as final exams. In the control group extraggression (aggression against others) in P-F Study was significantly increased at the end of the study as compared with that measured at the start (delta = +8.9%, P = 0.0022), whereas it was not significantly changed in the DHA group (delta = -1.0%). The 95% CI of differences between the DHA and control groups were -16.8 to -3.0%. DHA supplementation did not affect the Stroop and dementia-detecting tests. Thus, DHA intake prevented extraggression from increasing at times of mental stress. This finding might help understand how fish oils prevent disease like coronary heart disease.

Version history
  • Version 1 (February 15, 1996): No description
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