LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The latest research results showed no evidence that Omega-3 fish oil supplements could help improve the reading ability or memory function of under-performing school children, according to a study released Friday by the University of Birmingham.
A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford carried out a research on the benefits of the Omega-3 fish oil supplements. The latest results are in contradiction to an earlier study run by the same team using the same supplement.
In this new study, the team tested 376 children aged seven to nine years old, who were learning to read but in the bottom quarter in terms of their ability. Half of the children took a daily Omega-3 fish oil supplement and the remaining children took a placebo for 16 weeks.
They found that fish oil supplements did not have any or very little effect on the children's reading ability or working memory and behaviors.
My view is that funds should be spent on more promising interventions, and "the effects here, while good for a few kids, were not substantial for the many", said Professor Paul Montgomery from the University of Birmingham, who led the research.
The study has been published in the journal PLOS-ONE.
