Fish Oil boosts pupil brainpower Two new studies reveal fish oils have dramatic beneficial effect on children |
Children who were under performing in class have seen an improvement in concentration and behaviour after taking natural fish oils. One head teacher said children with specific difficulties now concentrate more, read better, and their self-esteem has rocketed. |
More than 120 children aged between six and 12 took part in trials, funded by Durham County Council. Half used a combination of omega-3 fish oil and omega-6 evening primrose oil and half an olive oil placebo. The research showed children's learning and behaviour improved significantly when taking the natural fatty acids. At the beginning of the trial and again after three months, the children were tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, co-ordination and short term memory. The fatty acid made "highly significant improvements" in 12 out of 13 behavioural scales, including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Short term memory also significantly improved. Dr Madeleine Portwood, an education psychologist from Durham Education Authority, said: "As a psychologist working in schools in Durham I became increasingly aware of the number of children under achieving because they are hyperactive and cannot concentrate. "In the late 1990s there was lots of research available suggesting fatty acids would make a difference. So I put it to a number of heads and they said we'll give it a go. "For six months the children were taking supplements during the school day and we measured improvements. "The most dramatic improvement was in concentration and the spin off was children had better attainments so their reading score improved - some children improved by as much as four years in the six months trial." |
 More of a pandemic really! Now that the kids are back at school, you may need some Delacet.
Healthpol Delacet | Daily Mail study, conducted in conjunction with eminent specialists: "fish oil supplements have been found to have a dramatic, and at times almost immediate, effect - even on children who have not been diagnosed with learning or behavioural problems." |
In the Mail's study, the supplement (available as capsules or a fruit-flavoured solution) was offered to pupils regardless of whether they exhibited behavioural or learning difficulties. The results, according to parents and Dr Madeleine Portwood, a Senior Educational Psychologist at Durham LEA and principal investigator of both trials, were impressive. At the start of the experiment Dr Portwood's tests revealed that the Mail's children - seven and eight-year-old pupils from Little Heath Primary School in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire - already had an average reading age nine months above their actual age. But after just three months on the fish oils, they were reading at 18 months above their age. Improvement in memory In addition, more than half showed a 10 per cent improvement in memory, while eight pupils improved by 20 per cent and one by 30 per cent. Among the parents, about 35 per cent say their children showed significant improvements in reading, concentration, focus or behaviour. Many also reported that the children were much 'calmer', more 'confident' and 'grown up'. Marina Breeze, Headteacher at Little Heath, says some of the improvement in reading age could be put down to the intensive reading practice children do in the spring term. But she adds: "The fact that the children have increased their reading age by a year in just three months is more than we would have expected, so there must be something in these supplements that helps." The improvements, says Dr Portwood, demonstrate that fish oils - or essential fatty acids - can make a huge difference to children's performance regardless of current ability. "The results from the Daily Mail trial are particularly exciting as they show significant changes in children who were not identified as having specific problems and so suggest that dietary supplementation can help children of all abilities", she says. | 
