Positive results from DOLAB study for docosahexaenoic acid shows improvement in reading and behaviour in underperforming children

Results of the DHA Oxford Learning and Behaviour (DOLAB) study suggests that taking lifes DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid, from Martek Biosciences, could be a simple and effective way to improve reading and behaviour in healthy but underperforming children. The researchers identified 362 healthy 7 to 9 year-olds attending primary schools and who had underperformed in standardized reading tests. They compared the effect of taking daily supplements of docosahexaenoic acid with placebo. The dose was 600mg per day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from algal oil, or a taste and colour-matched vegetable oil placebo, which the children took for 16 weeks.

The study sample comprised children whose initial reading ability was in the lowest third of the general population range. The results showed that the supplement had no effect on this group. But there was improvement in reading ability in a subgroup whose initial ability was in the lowest fifth of the general population range. These children gained an extra 0.8 months in reading ability with DHA rather than placebo. For those whose initial reading ability was in the lowest tenth, the improvement was an extra 1.9 months with DHA. The University of Oxford is extending the study with a larger group of children. See: "Docosahexaenoic Acid for Reading, Cognition and Behavior in Children Aged 7�9 Years: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (The DOLAB Study)"; Richardson AJ, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelsen TF, Montgomery P; PLoS ONE 7(9): e43909, published online 6 Sep 2012; DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0043909