Nutrition Research News

The Oxford-Durham Trial

DRT supported research has demonstrated that many children with dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or combinations of these can benefit hugely from taking omega-3 fish oil supplements. These provide the highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) that make up one fifth (20%) of the weight of the brain. One of these, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), may be particularly important for sharp brain function because magnocellular neurones seem to be especially vulnerable to EPA deficiency. But few people eat enough oily fish nowadays.  Recently the results of our Oxford-Durham study were published showing that 3 months' supplemental fish oil capsules can help the reading, spelling, attention and concentration of children with dyspraxia to improve very significantly (Pediatrics 2005, 115(5): 1360-66).  Furthermore we have noticed remarkable improvements in many of the children attending our DRT clinics after we have recommended they take EPA fish oil supplements.  These are being quantified at the moment.

Such improvements don’t only apply to children however. People often worry that once a person becomes an adult their brain structure is fixed. But the brain is continuously adapting and HUFAs move in and out of nerve membranes quite fast. Any losses must therefore be provided by the diet, because the body cannot manufacture them by itself. So there is much anecdotal evidence that EPA supplements can also help adults. Supported by the charity, Natural Justice, which was set up by the late Bishop Hugh Montefiore, Bernard Gesch who has recently joined us, was able to show that simply adding fish oils, minerals and vitamins to the diets of young offenders can reduce their rates of offending and violence by an amazing one third (British Journal of Psychiatry (2002) 181, 22-8).

Also Alex Richardson is now conducting a controlled treatment trial of adding fish oil supplements to the diet of adult dyslexics. This should enable us to identify the individuals who might benefit most from the supplements and hopefully explain the great improvements, particularly in attention and concentration, that they often  demonstrate.  The trial is 'double-blind' and 'placebo controlled', which means that neither the researchers, nor the subjects, know who is getting the placebo and who is getting the fish oil. Indeed, that won’t be disclosed until after the analysis has been done, to rule out the possibility of introducing bias when the results are looked at.

“The fish oils have been reported by so many people to have helped their children”, says Annie Shrier who's helping with this research, “that we're really bursting to know if they can benefit adults as well. If so, this would represent a real breakthrough for all the adult dyslexics who have struggled through life, probably under-performing. They would no longer feel as though they had missed the boat as far as remedial measures are concerned”.

Running alongside this study, the team are also looking to see if there is a relationship between visual problems often seen in dyslexia, and their level of essential fatty acids.