While the quality of public school education may certainly be a contributor, Dr. Williams says that evidence also points to nutritional factors. For years, many infants in the US have started with man-made formulas instead of their mothers' milk. It and arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, are the most prevalent fats in the fetal and the infant brain. Nursing mothers who eat plenty of fresh fish, nuts, seeds, fresh ground whole grains, legumes and have a tablespoon or two of flax seed oil each day have an abundant supply of these fatty acids in their milk. Essential fatty acids are only one group of nutrients that are necessary for proper brain development and function.
Nutrition also plays a role in criminal behavior.
In one study Dr. Stephen Schoenthaler of the University of California took blood tests from 400 prisoners between the ages of 18-25 years. Neither the prisoners nor the prison staff knew who was taking the placebo and who was getting the supplement. Shawn Cooper who fired a shotgun at students and staff of a high school in Notus, Idaho, in April 1999, was taking Ritalin for bipolar disorder. In May 1999, another 15 year-old, who shot six students in Conyers, Georgia, was also being treated with Ritalin. Thirty-three percent were medicated with two or more of these drugs.