Samenvatting

Recent research shows that behaviour is not only influenced by the psychosocial environment, but can also – partially – be explained by the biology in humans. In this paper dietary phenomena are explored. Data from large prospective cohort studies show that dietary patterns are associated with intelligence, school achievement and behavioural problems in children. Furthermore, detrimental behavioural effects of food insecurity, in severe cases hunger, are suggested by recent research. Sugar gets special attention in this paper. Contrary to common knowledge, sugar doesn’t seem to have a negative impact on behaviour. On the other hand, research suggests that glucose metabolism might explain aspects of impulsive aggressive behaviour. It might be possible to make prediction of future aggressive behaviour, using data from glucose metabolism. Finally experimental studies suggest that dietary modification is causally linked to behavioural improvement in offenders and people suffering from a variety of mental problems.