The Durham Sure Start trial has announced preliminary findings from its study of the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on 60 children aged between two months and three years, in a year-long trial that began last November.
Hannah Cooper, spokeswoman for manufacturer Equazen which supplies the fish oil supplements used in the trial, said, 'Initial results suggest that the performance of 60 per cent of the children has improved dramatically after taking supplements.
'The trial will end in November and findings will be presented to the DfES with a view to fish oil supplements being rolled out across Sure Start.'
Dr Madeleine Portwood, lead investigator at the Durham Sure Start trial, presented the trial's interim findings at a debate on the impact of omega-3 on child development on 18 July. The debate was organised by Dairy Crest, the UK dairy company which is introducing a new brand of milk enriched with omega-3.
In an interview in The Observer newspaper Dr Portwood said, 'We saw children whose learning skills went from being six months below their chronological age to absolutely normal in just three months.
'Some two-year-olds went from having a vocabulary of 25 single words to being able to use whole sentences, while others were able to sit down and concentrate for the first time in their lives.'
Durham LEA has already been involved in similar trials with older children.
Results from the Durham Schools Trial (Nursery World, 12 May 2005) found that 40 per cent of six- to 12-year-olds with learning and behavioural problems showed improvements in reading and spelling after taking supplements for three months. See www.durhamtrials.co.uk.