The nutritional adequacy of diets provided by a prison was assessed by analysis of the kitchen menu for 1 week of a 4-week cycle. Dietary intakes were determined using a predefined 7-day diet diary in which prisoners indicated what they had eaten, and how much. A total of 159 prisoners took part in the study. The food provided by the prison kitchen was broadly in line with current dietary recommendations. Vitamin content exceeded recommendations, with the exception of niacin in the vegetarian menu (12.6 mg compared with the reference nutrient intake of 16.8 mg). Selenium content was low in all menus, but particularly in the vegetarian menu in 1997 where it equalled the lower reference nutrient intake (LRNI) (39.5 microg). Food choices made by prisoners resulted in a wide variation in dietary intakes. Fat intake (as a proportion of energy) exceeded the recommended 35% in 82% of diets in 1996, and 64% of diets in 1997. In 1996, 34% of prisoners had intakes above 40% energy as fat. High fat intakes were largely the result of consuming items from the prison shop. Vitamin D intakes were low (3.4 and 3.3 microg in 1996 and 1997, respectively) compared with the recommendation (10 microg) for those with limited exposure to sunlight. Intakes of a number of minerals fell below recommendations, with some prisoners barely meeting the LRNI. This was particularly notable for selenium where 35% of prisoners in 1996, and 60% of prisoners in 1997 had intakes below the LRNI.

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Adolescence is often associated with exploring boundaries, rapid growth, hormones and pimples. A stable feature of this turbulent age is that these young people are highly over-represented in the criminal justice system. Adolescents account for disproportionate proportion of police-recorded crimes, and this seems to be a cross-cultural phenomenon. Furthermore, disaffected young people often have limited routine access to healthy foods and make poor food choices. These people form a large proportion of the prison population and there are concerns that insufficient attention is paid to their health. Hence their diet tends to be poor compared with international standards of dietary adequacy, which typically are set to protect the heart but not for optimal brain function. Thus, it has been posited that a poor diet may be a modifiable causal factor in antisocial behaviours. We tested what happened to the behaviour of violent young adult prisoners (18-21years) when nutrients missing from their diets were reinstated. We used food supplements as an analogue of a better diet because it provided the possibility of a placebo control. On a random basis, where neither the volunteers, prison staff nor researchers in the prison knew who was getting which type, 231 volunteers were given either placebo or real capsules containing broadly the daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The number of proven offences committed by each prisoner was monitored before and while taking supplements. The result was that those who received the extra nutrients committed significantly (26.3%) fewer offences compared with placebos. Those consuming real supplements for at least 2 weeks committed 37% fewer (highly statistically significant) of the most serious offences, such as violence. These findings have been replicated by the Dutch Ministry of Justice; their double-blind study reported a 48% difference between groups. If these studies are widely replicated -and they need to be -we may have a simple and humane means to help reduce and prevent a significant proportion of violence and antisocial behaviour. This should also work in the community, because it is not about where you eat but what you eat. Indeed, criminal justice systems are often over-represented with ethnic minorities, but providing a more nutritious diet is never going to be discriminatory to these young people. The only risk is better health. KeywordsViolence; nutrition; brain Reprints and permission: sagepub.co The nutritional ascent of manNo species can flourish without food and water. This global necessity highlights vast inequalities. Many of the world's population starve while at the same time we are witnessing an epidemic of obesity. Good nutrition is considered to be essential to our physical wellbeing. It is widely accepted as a major factor in the prevention of chronic disease. The tragic consequences of malnutrition include death, disability, and stunted mental and physical growth. 1 This may be the visible tip of an iceberg and, to ex...