Fish oil supplements and dyslexia have something that binds them.
While this disorder is often seen as a learning disability, it's often viewed by many to be a nutritional disorder. And though adding fish oil to the diet may not be called a "cure", it certainly will make a huge difference.
Dyslexia and fish oil supplements can be properly managed during pregnancy and the nursing period. To make sure that you prevent further problems, it would be good if the baby gets adequate doses of omega 3 fatty acids from the mom.
A lot of research has shown that fish oil is a vital factor in the proper growth of a child's brain.
Children born to moms who consume healthy amounts of oily fish or take good-quality fish oil supplements are less likely to suffer ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other serious developmental disorders.
That is good news for mothers who are planning to have more children. But what if you already have a kid with dyslexia?
Well, there's positive news for you as well. Research on omega 3 fish fatty acids shows great promise for children with dyslexia- as well as for adults.
It seems that almost all studies made about dyslexia begin by stating a widely-accepted fact, that developmental dyslexia is related to a deficiency of highly unsaturated fatty acids, which are exactly the same fatty acids seen in fish. And this surely indicates something about the disorder.
Research done at the Oxford University Laboratory of Physiology, and published in Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, indicates that "children with high fatty acid deficiency ratings showed poorer reading and lower general ability" than children without the deficiency.
Also, the researchers went on to note that the results of their study "support the hypothesis that fatty acid deficiency may add to the worsening of dyslexic problems" [Vol. 63:69-74]
Okay, so specifically what's there with fish oil supplements and dyslexia?
Here's the positive news. Our comrades at the Laboratory of Physiology have concluded through their studies on dyslexia, that these can be corrected specifically through supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids from fish.
These findings are fully supported by other studies too. S.M. Baker for instance, noted in the Journal of Learning Disabilities that kids with dyslexia have shown remarkable improvement with schoolwork after treatment with fatty acids.
B.J. Strody also wrote in Lancet that he found a normalization of visual deficits in dyslexic adults who had taken omega 3 fatty acid supplements. [Vol. 346:385]
What makes this particularly of importance is that visual deficits are noted to be a major component of dyslexia.
I'm sold with this! Yet it's funny that scientists continue to say that they need more research on this subject. I suspect they'll lose their research grants if ever they reveal THE answer. Therefore, they always leave an option for more funding.
But if you have a family member who deals with dyslexia, stop waiting. You need to start right away by increasing the intake of omega 3 fish oil.
And I should say, based on research that a dyslexic needs to ensure that they get around 1 to 4 grams daily.
