Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements may Improve Kids’ Reading Skills

A new study conducted by researchers at Oxford University reveals that providing additional omega-3 fatty acid supplements to children may lead to improvement in their poor reading skills. The researchers gave a daily dose of 600mg omega-3 supplements to 362 children aged between seven and nine years for over a period of 16 weeks.

The researchers found that while there was no marked improvement in the overall reading skills of the group, those who were in the lowest fifth of the group improved their reading age by three weeks while those in the lowest 10 percent improved their reading age by 1.9 months compared to those who were on a placebo.

Stating that the findings could be useful for children who have poor reading skills, Oxford University’s Paul Montgomery said, “Previous studies have shown benefits from dietary supplementation with omega-3 in children with conditions such as ADHD, Dyslexia and Developmental Coordination Disorder, but this is the first study to show such positive results in children from the general school population.”

Source-Medindia