University of Oxford UK, lead researchers of the new clinical study have  indicated that DHA supplementation appears to be an effective way to improve reading in healthy but underperforming children from mainstream schools.

Increased dietary intake of algal DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in school-aged children with low reading levels demonstrated significant improvements in reading performance and behaviour.

“Poor reading skills as a child impact all learning and can lead to a host of problems in adulthood,” said Dr Alex Richardson, senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, director of Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research and  lead investigator.

“The DHA Oxford Learning and Behaviour (DOLAB) trial showed that taking daily algal DHA supplements improved reading performance for the worst readers, and helped these children catch up with their peer group,” he added.

The study results were published in the peer-reviewed PLoS ONE journal on September 6, 2012. The DOLAB trial, an independent study initiated at the University of Oxford, was funded by a grant from DSM Nutritional Products, and DSM’s algal DHA omega-3 oil was used as the active treatment for the intervention.

The DOLAB Trial was a parallel group, fixed-dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to assess whether an increased dietary intake of DHA omega-3 had benefits on reading performance, working memory and behaviour in healthy school-aged children. The study population included 362 healthy children aged seven to nine years recruited from mainstream state schools in Oxfordshire, UK underperforming in literacy skills (<33rd percentile on standardized reading test) but with other abilities within the normal range. The study population was not taking medications for ADHD.

The active treatment intervention was a fixed dose of 600 mg DHA (from algal oil), delivered in 3 x 500 mg capsules/day, each providing 200 mg DHA. The placebo treatment was 3 x 500 mg capsules/day containing corn/soybean oil placebo, matched with active treatment for taste and colour. Duration of treatment was 16 weeks with delivery of capsules via schools and parents at other times.

The study results come at a time when many school-aged children lack sufficient reading skills. According to the most recent report card by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), students in the United States continue to struggle with reading, the most fundamental educational skill. More than a third of all fourth-grade public school students cannot read at even the most basic level and another third only reach the level of proficient.

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM Nutritional Products provided the funding for the study but had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.