Violence from Food?

Aside from the age old caution about giving children too much sugar and the myth of the Twinkie defense, I never thought about other links between diet and behavior but they exist and could be an easy way to improve education and reduce violance.

From HuffPo...

When you eat sugar, your blood sugar levels jump, giving you a burst of energy. Soon after, your blood sugar levels fall and you grow tired and foggy. As your body fights to keep your blood sugar levels from falling too low, your body produces adrenaline...and you become irritable and sometimes aggressively angry.

Reducing sugar and fat intake leads to higher IQs and improved grades in school. With a supervised change in the diets of students at 803 low-income neighborhood schools in New York City passing final exam grades went from 11% below the national average to 5% above it.

In a prison 231 volunteers were divided into 2 groups: one was given supplements meeting their daily nutrition requirements of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. The other group took placebos. After 4 months of supplements, the prisoners in the study taking supplements showed an average of 26% fewer violations compared to the preceding period. There was no significant change in the prisoners taking the placebo.

Crime and truancy are major issues for most cities. Lack of focus, poor grades and the inability to compete academically is becoming epidemic. Why is there not more focus on the effects of food on behavior and violence?