Omega 3 fatty acids derived from fish oil can boost the study performance of students, says a study.
Scientists led by Amanda Kirby, from the University of Wales, and other researchers gave 184 children in a Lancashire secondary school chewable capsules containing Omega 3 fish oil.
The 15- and 16-year-olds took the orange-flavoured supplements for 12 weeks in the critical run up to their general certificate of secondary examination (GCSE) exams last year, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.
A total of 34 percent passed at grade C or higher, compared with 27 percent in 2004. On average, they exceeded the results predicted for them by one grade.
Ray Rice, chief executive of the Fish Foundation, said: “Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential building block of the brain and necessary for children’s brain development.
“The body doesn’t manufacture Omega 3 fatty acids. So it’s necessary for people to eat them. These results highlight the need for supplements specially formulated for teenagers, which taste good and are easy to take.”
Earlier, scientists at the Paterson Institute researchers at Manchester had said that Omega 3 oil present in fish like salmon could block prostate cancer.