Hundreds of inmates at Scotland's main prison for young offenders are to be given nutritional supplements in a radical attempt to reduce violence, The Herald can reveal.

Hundreds of inmates at Scotland's main prison for young offenders are to be given nutritional supplements in a radical attempt to reduce violence, The Herald can reveal.

Around 500 prisoners at Polmont Young Offenders Institute in Falkirk, along with another 500 in England, are being recruited to a trial aimed at proving that taking a daily vitamin, mineral and fish oil pill can dramatically cut the number of attacks behind bars.

Initial studies have found that assaults in jails have fallen sharply among those receiving doses of extra nutrients.

Celebrity chef Rick Stein, whose brother Professor John Stein is one of the key university researchers, joined the expert team as they visited Polmont this week to urge inmates to sign up for the voluntary scheme.

Experts at Oxford University are now launching the biggest trial of its kind in an attempt to discover a recipe for peace' which could be incorporated into prison diets across the UK.

They are testing a modified multi-nutrient pill with higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium than previous supplements, which they believe will be even more effective at feeding' the brain to promote better behaviour.

The findings of the study, which has been funded by The Wellcome Trust, could also be used to improve the eating habits of at-risk children to stop them falling into a life of crime in the first place.

Read the full story in The Herald tomorrow.