A Dose of Good Behavior

Is your child acting out? Vitamins might be a key to improving behavior.

By Natasha Raymond, published on January 01, 2001 - last reviewed on June 30, 2009

Parents: If you want well-behaved children, make sure they take their vitamins. Researchers from California State University (CSU) in Stanislaus compared behavioral problems -- like disorderly conduct, vandalism and refusal to work -- in two randomly assigned groups of schoolchildren ages 6 to 12. One group took a daily supplement providing the nutritional equivalent of a well-balanced diet, while the other received a placebo. The results, published in the International Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, showed that after four months, the children taking placebos needed twice as much discipline as those taking supplements.

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In earlier research, lead investigator Stephen Schoenthaler, Ph.D., a CSU professor of sociology and criminal justice, discovered that low blood concentrations of key vitamins and minerals impaired the brain function of incarcerated teenagers, and correcting those concentrations improved both brain function and behavior. The research is important, Schoenthaler says, because "fighting adult crime starts with children."

While good nutrition appears to dampen delinquency, Schoenthaler recommends altering diet over taking supplements. "A multivitamin supplement should be an insurance policy in case efforts to eat well fail from time to time."