Omega 3 Helps Academic Achievement
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Translated from Arabic. Read the original.
http://www.lahaonline.com/articles/view/
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Scientists have confirmed that DHA, a component of the fatty acids found in fish, ” omega 3″, is capable of raising students' academic and educational performance, particularly pupils in the early years of primary school.
These findings emerged from a recent study carried out by the centre attached to Oxford University. The study covered some 362 low-achieving pupils aged between 7 and 9.
The pupils took the substance for about 16 weeks, each receiving a daily dose of some 600 mg of ” DHA”, extracted from fish oils and known to doctors as ” omega 3″.
When the set research period ended, the scientists examined the pupils' results in their educational progress and found that the children's schooling had improved, that they had begun to read, and that their behaviour had improved as well, so their capacity for concentration and attention increased.
For the struggling pupils whose condition had not improved, the scientists allowed a further two months of continued intake of ” DHA”, after which they judged there to be a marked improvement in these pupils' academic performance.
Asked about this, the head of the university research team at Oxford, “Alexandra Richardson”, replied: “What is new here is that we have been able to reach findings that help academically struggling pupils catch up with their classmates in comprehension.
As for the substance in question, “DHA”, it is an important nutrient for children. The human body does not manufacture it, yet all human cells need it. It is also important for sound eyesight and mental alertness, especially in children's early stages of growth, and so it helps the child to read and understand better.
Professor Paul Montgomery, head of psychology at Oxford University, said: “Weak reading among these pupils is a formidable obstacle to their progress and development, and so it harms their academic future, leading them to abandon school and drift towards the world of crime and drugs”. He added that reading refines the self and improves conduct.
Elsewhere, most people in Western countries who turn to weight-loss regimes choose foods containing omega 3, found chiefly in the fish oils “salmon and sardines” and also in flax seeds. They also turn to foods containing “omega 6″, which shares some components with foods containing ” omega 3″ but is not as effective as fish oils.
On this point Dr Alexandra adds: “When children eat a great deal of food containing this substance, it gives them greater attention and concentration than ever before”. She went on: “We need further and deeper studies to show us how far children improve across the various fields of learning, such as mathematics, memory and comprehension”.