Study Suggests Daily Vitamin Supplements May Reduce Disruptive Behavior in Teens

11 Mar 2016 --- New British research shows pupils taking a daily vitamin, mineral and omega 3 supplement were better behaved at school. According to a study conducted by the University of Oxford and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, schoolchildren who took a daily nutritional supplement for 12 weeks behaved much better in the classroom.

The study, which was conducted in collaboration with vitamin company Vitabiotics, generated findings which add weight to the growing evidence that a healthy diet is linked to better cognitive ability.

Experts believe that omega 3 fatty acid, found in food like nuts, seeds and oily fish, is vital for a healthy brain development. The body can't make it, so it's essential that we get these fatty acids through our diet. But many children eat no oily fish at all. Instead research shows many children's diets are made up of foods high in fat and sugar, like crisps, cakes and candies.

Professor John Stein, neuroscience expert from the University of Oxford, said: "Deteriorating diets are having adverse effects on our mood, intelligence, social behavior and creativity. Our modern diet is appalling and poor nutrition can prevent our brain working properly. This is not trivial, this is a leading cause of misery and ill health. The most important cause is decreased levels of omega 3 consumption. In my opinion you can't have too much omega 3."

The study involved 196 healthy children aged 13-16 years old attending a secondary school in East London. Two groups of children were looked at: one who took a 270mg Vitabiotics WellTeen nutritional supplement each day, while the other half was given a placebo. Blood samples were taken to measure the change in vitamin, mineral and omega 3 levels and these were found to be low at the start of the study and significantly improved in the group taking the supplements.

The children who took the supplement showed improvement in their ability to sit still and behave, and disciplinary records showed behavior in students receiving the supplement improved, suggesting that omega 3 could protect against anti-social behavior. 

Dr Jonathan Tammam, Research Scientist from the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics who led the study, said: "We found suggestive evidence that broad-spectrum vitamin, mineral and omega 3 supplementation might have a protective effect against antisocial behavior. It is reasonable to suggest that an appropriate nutrient intervention for improvement of cognitive health and behavior would be one that contains a broad range of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids."

Although the study is very promising, there's still no substitute for a healthy, balanced diet. Dr Martin Saweirs, GP for Dr Morton's – the medical helpline – says: "There were studies some years ago also extolling the positive benefits of omega 3 and fish oils on children's behavior in the classroom. However, then it was shown that there was no identifiable difference between children taking this and those taking placebo tablets. Whilst omega 3 may have potentially important effects on the brain, more research is needed to substantiate or disprove these claims."

This research advises that it might be wise to increase children's omega 3 intake. Oily fish is the best source: foods like tuna, trout, sardines, mackerel, pilchards and herring. The current advice is to eat oily fish two to three times a week. While oily fish is the best source of essential fatty acids, other omega-rich foods are corn oil, flaxseed oil, nut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and virgin olive oil.