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Children's Behaviour, Children's Learning Ability and Omega 3

It has long been believed that Cod Liver Oil is good for the brain. Research now suggests that it is Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids contained in the oil that are most beneficial. Many of us will know of a child with learning difficulties, perhaps even one who suffers from Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

These 'learning disabilities' could well be improved, or even eliminated with Omega 3 oil supplements, according to the recent BBC television programmes 'Child Of Our Time (Oct 2003)', and 'The Human Mind (Jan 2004)'.

In these programmes, Professor Robert Winston demonstrated how regular Omega 3 oil supplements cannot only help calm disruptive children, increase concentration and attentiveness, but also aid the development of important early social skills.

In 2001, researchers from Imperial College School of Medicine in London and the University of Oxford, found that children given Omega 3 oil supplements were less anxious, more able to concentrate, and significantly better behaved than before. These results, alongside other work, suggest that a 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.

Research into ADHD has shown that fatty acids are used to make brain and nerve tissue in the body and are crucial for proper growth, mental function, the immune system and brain development. The body cannot produce the two fatty acid families, Omega 3 and Omega 6, on its own and therefore must receive these key nutritional ingredients through diet and supplementation, in order to alleviate symptoms associated with Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).