Council claims fish oil is the secret to exam success
Joanna Rossiter
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pupils who take Omega-3 supplements can achieve higher results in their GCSEs, a north east council has claimed.
Durham County Council carried out a study into the effects of the fish oil dietary supplement on pupil performance during last year’s GCSE examinations.
Over 3,000 Year 11 pupils took part in the study. Each of these students were then matched with a pupil of similar ability, gender, social background and school to form 629 matching pairs.
The organisers of the study ensured that each pair’s Key Stage 2 results did not differ by more than 3 points. By comparing the Key stage 4 results (GCSE), they were able to ascertain an average difference of 17.7 points between pupils who took the supplement and those who did not.
Dave Ford, Head of Achievement for Durham County Council’s Children and Young People’s Services said: “ We have always maintained that if the outcome was positive, it would then be for the scientists to examine in more detail. “
He added: “The road to determining whether there are education benefits to be had from taking fish oil supplements was always going to be a long one, but I hope the findings of our study have taken the journey one step further.”
