What is Digg?39 Comments
- CaseyUCF, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18I believe that 90% of today's "sickness" and "disease" and even behavioral disorders can in MOST cases be contributed to poor diet and lack of exercise.
- r0ck3tm4nn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Too late to edit, but I wanted to add this: the article addresses causation and correlation:
"Of course, all these graphs prove is that there is a striking correlation between violence and omega 6-fatty acids in the diet. They don't prove that high omega-6 and low omega-3 fat consumption actually causes violence." - r0ck3tm4nn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10After reading the article, the research data isn't all that off-the-wall as some of the other stories I've read (e.g. "Children of teenage mothers are 23.7% more likely to suffer from depression at the age of 35!!!"). I have a friend doing research on omega-3 fatty acids and it could very well be the next big health fad. Whether that's a good thing or not is for us to find out I suppose.
- VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10"Bernard Gesch recorded the boy's daily diet as follows:
Breakfast: nothing (asleep)
Mid morning: nothing (asleep)
Lunchtime: 4 or 5 cups of coffee with milk and 2½ heaped teaspoons of sugar
Mid afternoon: 3 or 4 cups of coffee with milk and 2½ heaped sugars
Tea: chips, egg, ketchup, 2 slices of white bread, 5 cups of tea or coffee with milk and sugar
Evening: 5 cups of tea or coffee with milk and sugar, 20 cigarettes, £2 worth of sweets, cakes and if money available 3 or 4 pints of beer."
Whoa. - fgsfds, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9However, the prison trials would strongly suggest a causal link between increased Omega-3 intake and *reduced* violence. A 37% difference between the test and control groups in a double-blind study is significant, any way you slice it.
More research is required! - neko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5There's something fishy about that study.
- fallenone05, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8I do feel kinda angry when I buy junk food and they give me cold fries...
- fgsfds, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6You need to remember that they're *British*. You'll find writing like that all over the place in British news pieces. (Or at least GU, the Register, and the BBC...)
However, if some people could be given a magic pill that makes them calmer and feel better with only positive side effects, that could certainly be preferable to meting out jail time.
Prisons are expensive, and barring extreme cases there's nothing wrong with letting somebody back into society on medication if you can be reasonably assured that the problem is resolved. - Haohmaru, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I already try to eat right, but I still take Flax Seed oil and I know it improves my memory.
- florin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Another interesting fact is that by taking lots of fish oil and other sources of EFA (essential fatty acids), especially if enriched with CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), inflammation of all kinds is reduced. I see this every day in my own experience: I lift weights and, if I take good fish oil supplements (or lots and lots of less good ones, to compensate for the lower concentration), my joints are fine; but if I don't take enough of the "good stuff", then my joints are killing me during and after exercise.
- SwiftJ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I learned to eat the wrong foods by playing Grand Theft Auto.
- dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I've been taking Omega-3 supplements regularly for 6 monthes now. I haven't had a single murderous "freak out" in what seems like forever. Seriously though, Omega-3 is still a great way to promote mental and conory health, not to mention it gave me more energy (though that may be attributed to a diet and exercise change as well).
Conclusion, healthy mind and body is the way to go. - thegline, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4The one question that is often never asked: Is the diet the product of other behaviors that also result in violence, i.e., wholly artifactual?
Like someone else once said, correlation != causation. - dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@elnerdo
Thank you for "correlation does not mean causation" insight. I imagine everyone reading the science section isn't retarded and already knew that. If you had read the article it was quick to point out this fact. Thank you for drawing your own conclusions based on reading the headline. Hope to hear more from you on these issues when the next science headline comes out. - tivo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3ive seen worse from WOW fanboys. nasty sight. powdered cheese all over the place.
- Kytro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3http://www.badscience.net/?p=305
Should be taken with a grain of salt - nazadus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I disagree.
For example, those with a chemical imbalance have been known to go bi-polar and do some insane stuff (suicide / homicide).
This could be very similiar.
Don't get me wrong, doesn't mean they should get away with it -- because far too many people would use this as an excuse for the wrong reasons. The whole responsibility thing most people tend to not have. - dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3..or the weed.
- JEmerson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2And the funny thing is, mention that on digg and the comment will always drop due to people who judge science by feeling instead of facts. The odd thing is that while I see a high percentile of people without the basics of experimental design on both slashdot and fark, it never reaches the same overwhelming majority of opinion that it does here. It's rather odd, and aside from a love of using 'awesome' or 'best' in subject lines, one of the only things I've ever found distinct in the social atmosphere here. What I'd really love to see is some articles voted up which deal with some of the basics of how to judge the validity of a study, the differences between experimental and meta-analysis, and explanations as to the logic behind why various experimental designs would be put in place. I'm just too lazy to write one, as I doubt it'd ever get past the number of folks who felt it was written in order to talk down to people.
- blankman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I take Omega 3 every day and have been for the past year or so. I originally started for its effects on smoothing dry skin, but I noticed that my concentration level has gone way up since I started taking it.
Omega 3 helps to reinforce the myelin sheaths that cover the axons in the brain. This speeds up communication between neurons.
You can read a lot more about it's effects on the brain here: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/fats-intelligence.php - dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Contradicting quotes in the article ..
"Some 80 volunteers came forward and have since been enrolled in the double blind study."
and a few lines down..
"the nurse administering the pills, has seen startling changes in those on the fish oil rather than the placebo."
Unfortunately a DOUBLE BLIND test means both the people performing the experiment and the people in it do not know wheither they are getting the placebo until AFTER the test is all done.
I'm not saying the tests were bad, maybe the article just misreported something.. who knows.. just interesting.. - elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2No problem, DBliss. I'll be here all day.
- Reddog_x2000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I wouldn't be surprised if we found that nutritional deficits are responsible for some anti-social behavior. But, I'm gonna need to see A LOT more evidence before I believe that Omega-3 pills are the key to world peace. I expect we'll find they're only useful for a small number of people.
As for the bit about people not being responsible for their actions, that's crap. I mean, c'mon if someone kills your Mom, are you going to be satisfied with being told that the killer just had a nutritional deficit and that he's been given the proper supplements and turned loose? - axiomofstealth, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7In general, pretty interesting stuff, but this part:
"But the new research calls into question the very basis of criminal justice and the notion of culpability. It suggests that individuals may not always be responsible for their aggression."
Pure crap. - CaseyUCF, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2improper diet can influence your mood. somebody in a ***** mood is more irritable/moody, which could make them more likely to become violent.
- Pharaoh777, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"I have a friend doing research on omega-3 fatty acids and it could very well be the next big health fad."
For some of us, we've been on the bandwagon for a while.
http://www.fantastic-voyage.net/ - dortdruben, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Ever notice how the healthy food costs more, and the super-***** food is uber cheap? And, who are the ones in prisons? You got it, poor people!
Conspiracy?! :) - ZenTaff, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Buried for sheer stupidity. The idea that food influences violent behavior, just insanity."
Obviously you've studied the research extensively and can conclusively disprove Joseph Hibbeln's work with research of your own, otherwise that would be a really, really stupid comment to make.
Nobody is blaming all violence on any one factor, but if there's evidence that altering or supplementing diets can reduce violent behaviour in some people - and this article shows that there is - then it would be crazy to ignore it. - bat-21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This sounds like one of those "chicken and egg" things. Most people who become violent criminals are impulsive and have poor decision-making skills. Someone who is impulsive with poor decision-making skills would rather eat a bag of Cheetos than spend the time, money and effort to make a tuna fish sandwich.
- BigManOnCampus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'm sorry, some research you can dismiss by its cover. Honestly, are we really contemplating laying the blame for violent actions on the food that people eat?
I can just hear it now:
"It wasn't me, judge, honest, it was that philly cheese steak I had earlier."
"Sorry for that black eye baby, you know you should not have burned those eggs.."
Being intoxicated is barely an excuse in manslaughter cases. The law still does not say, "oh, well, obviously it was the alcohol pulling the trigger, not that person."
Violence is a choice, pure and simple. Some people choose it because it is all they know. Some people don't because they can think their way out of a situation. It has nothing to do with what you're eating. If it did, I think thousands of years of human history would have bore evidence to changed behavior due to food a long time ago. - BigManOnCampus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Buried for sheer stupidity. The idea that food influences violent behavior, just insanity. Next people will be blaming the posession of testicles for all violence.
- bravecoward, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I WANNA PUNCH SOMEBODY RIGHT NOW
- EricCiccone, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3This would explain part of the reason why hippies are so mellow, they eat a lot of organic natural food!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4Watch out! user "CaseyUCF" is really Tom Cruise!
- billyswong, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Why there are still people talking about correlation and causation after the experiment described in the article showed that omega-3 works?
- shortkid422, on 10/12/2007, -11/+5That was one of the first things we were told in my psych class (high school level). It seemed so obvious (hindsight bias anyone?) until I realized how many people didn't know that.
- elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -18/+9I think we just need a banner on the top of Digg that says 'Correlation is not equal to causation'
I didn't even read the article yet, but I know that it will need to be said.
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