FISH OIL IMPROVES BEHAVIOR OF SEVERELY TROUBLED SCHOOLBOYS

Severely troubled boys improved dramatically when given fish oil, according to a small informal study conducted recently in Britain. The findings are consistent with those of recent larger-scale studies reporting improvements in hyperactivity and learning problems in children taking omega-3 fatty acids (see related articles, Crime Times, 2006, Vol. 12, No. 2, Page 2; Crime Times, 2006, Vol. 12, No. 1, Page 1; and Crime Times, 2005, Vol. 11, No. 3, Page 1). Fish is high in these essential fatty acids.

Jackie Stordy, a nutritionist at a residential school for boys with problems so severe that their families and regular schools cannot deal with them, administered fish oil to 19 students and evaluated their behavior before and during treatment. She found that after 20 weeks of treatment, the number of times children needed restraint dropped by 46%, the length of time they required restraint dropped by 42%, and their scores for impulsiveness and hyperactivity improved by 20%. Three children improved to the degree that their behavioral scores moved into the normal range, which Stordy says is "remarkable" for this population.

Andrew Thomas, head of the school, comments, "Fish oil supplements seem to be making a genuine difference to the rollercoaster of emotions [the students] face every day."

"Severely troubled boys 'soothed by fish oils,'" Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian, Thursday, October 12, 2006.