Fish oils help dyslexia

Children with dyslexia and other learning problems can benefit from being fed fish oils, according to recent research in the UK.

Scientists from the Imperial College School of Medicine in London and the University of Oxford found that children given the oils were less anxious, more able to concentrate and significantly better behaved than before, the UK newspaper the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Their results will be presented at the British Dyslexia Association's conference at York University alongside other work suggesting that a bodily deficiency of fats of the type found in fish oil may cause,or at least exacerbate, problems in some children who have trouble with their reading and behaviour.

Dyslexia is among an increasing number of brain conditions - including such serious illnesses as manic depression and schizophrenia - where scientists are investigating fish oils as a treatment, turning again to the old wives' tale that fish is good for the brain.

Seafood is the only main source of two fats, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), otherwise known as omega-3 series fatty acids.

Dr Alex Richardson and colleagues decided to see what would happen when children at a special school, most of whom had dyslexia, were given capsules containing this type of oil.

They split the 40 children, aged between eight and 12, into two groups and compared their progress.

One group took fish oils for the first half of the six-month study, while the other took them for the second three months.

The study found "stark" differences in the children's scores in terms of how relaxed they were, their ability to pay attention, and their shyness and emotional volatility when they were taking the oils.

The researchers have now set up a study to investigate whether taking fish oils will actually improve children's reading ability.

The results are expected in September.