Daily Mail
London, UK
28 March, 2006



Fish oils can transform the behaviour of disruptive teenagers, a study has revealed.

Youngsters were calmer and better able to concentrate after taking daily supplements for three months.

They were also less impulsive and kinder towards their parents, according to the research, which provides the clearest evidence yet of the benefit children receive from fish oils.

The findings add to the evidence that improving children's nutritional intake can calm their behaviour and even boost brainpower.

The study involved 20 persistently disruptive 12 to 15 year olds at Greenfield Community Arts College, County Durham.

Nineteen were assessed as having moderate or severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nineteen were also judged to have short attention spans while 18 were highly impulsive.

By the end of the 12-week trial, the number showing symptoms of moderate or severe ADHD had dropped to six, while only three were severely inattentive and only six highly impulsive.

The supplements were 'eye q smooth', a blend of Omega 3 and Omega 6, which is supplied by Equazen. Another product cited by the researchers is known as Efalex.

Dr Madeleine Portwood, Durham County Council's senior educational psychologist and lead researcher on the trials, described the results as "stunning".

She said: "These trials were undertaken with a group of potentially vulnerable students with persistent behavioural difficulties and who were at risk of exclusion.

"By taking the fatty acid supplement, those aspects of their behaviour which put them at risk of exclusion improved dramatically."

An earlier trial led by Dr Portwood studied 65 children aged 18 to 30 months.

They were selected for the research from Governmentfunded Sure Start children's centres due to their "challenging behaviour" and problems with attention and concentration.

At the start of the research, almost half of the children were rated as having 'poor' or 'very poor' behaviour.

But after receiving supplements, nine out of ten of these youngsters had improved to moderate or good ratings.

Sixty-six per cent of children at the beginning of the trial had 'poor' or 'very poor' con-centration levels but all improved to moderate or good after five months.

The latest findings emerged amid a scientific row over the extent of the health-giving properties of oily fish.

Mackerel, tuna, herring and other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids have been thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes and some cancers.

But University of East Anglia researchers analysed 89 studies on the subject and found little evidence to back claims of reduced death rates.

Dr Portwood said last night: "The studies looked at the effect on the blood but we are actually looking at how the brain is working."



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Put them on Atkins diet - including multivitamin and fish oil and I'll bet they would have seen even better results.

I'd love to know how exactly to get fish oils into them! I bought a product called EyeQ which is meant to be really nice in flavour - I started to give it to my 4 year old. She threw it up after the second dose. She is too young to take tablets, and not a fond lover of fish - I make salmon fishcakes once a week, but no other fish apart from that.

This EyeQ stuff was very expensive, but when I tried to take it it made me heave too!

I would LOVE to find something else I can give my kids, but I fear they will all have the same effect, smell and taste fishy and give you terrible indigestion for hours.

Foxgluvs, check out the Haliborange Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules, which you can find in Boots - they are chewy and more like eating a 'sweet', so perhaps your daughter might find them easier to take. There is an orange flavoured capsule and also a blackcurrant one, which according to my DD tastes great and not at all fishy.

There's also Haliborange Omega-3 Fish Oil Twistie Fish - fun fish-shaped 'twist-off' capsules developed for children who prefer not to chew or swallow capsules and are filled with delicious orange fruit paste.

You can check these out on the boots.com site, if you need want any further info etc., and also at the Haliborange site

HTH

I've never had fish oil or cod liver oil that tasted like fish =/

I got my nephew and niece to take their fish oil when they come around my house on the weekends. At first they were both reluctant and just spat it out. I got one of them to try it properly and told him it would make him big and strong and brainy! ... I then said to my niece how josh was going to grow bigger and stronger than her because hes taking 'brain food!" and she quickly changed her mind. These are both 3 and 4 years of age.

Now everytime they come around my house they shout that they want brain food, meaning either a bit of boneless salmon or fish oil

No one else could persuade them to take this stuff but I found it real easy once you talk to them and give them an incentive or reason... Even though apparently they hated the stuff at first.

Children say that they hate the taste of stuff but it's really a lie most of the time. But I was the only person in my family that can get them to eat vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and things like that. I guess I just understand and good at negotiating with children lol.

If my mother or father told me why they were giving me fish oil when I was younger then I would have definietely wanted to take it! -

I've tried almost everything and one of my kids is very reluctant and one takes it no problem.

The main one I try is Coromega

http://www.coromega.com/index3.html

I've also tried many of the flavored fish oils (liquids in a bottle).

I've tried all the tricks to get them to take it, threatening, trying the "it will make you smart and healthy" , etc.

The coromega can be mixed with puddings, etc. So I am thinking about getting the sugar free pudding, mixing the coromega with it, and giving them it that way.

Thank you for the suggestions! I tried the EyeQ stuff myself and it's meant to taste like vanilla.....well, let me tell you it tastes like pure cod liver oil favoured with vanilla and it even made me gag!! I am pleased there might be other options out there for them to try. I do think it's essential that they get such a good nutrient into their systems early on.
I will look out for those products!

I must be the only one then that actually LIKES the taste of fish oil and cod liver oil (well, the good non-rancid stuff). I chew up those capsules - they all taste of nothing to me - I like the sweetness of the glycerin capsules. I take the NOW brand which is really cheap. Never had fish burps either. What's up with that??

You must be odd, makes me wanna puke!!

I don't have a problem with eh cod liver oil either, I just drink coffee or OJ afterwards... I purchased the orange flavored kind and my daughter takes it better now...