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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."
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.
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