Claim: Daily dose of fish oils can help boost GCSE grades
Origin: In November 2006, Education Chiefs in Durham offered free fish oil supplement
capsules to 3000 children six months before their exams. The purpose of this experiment was
to study the benefits of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids on youngsters. The results from
this experiment were that those who took fish oil scored 17.7 more points than those who had
not been given any supplements. Despite the many questions raised by researchers and
scientists, there seem to be some apparent indications that pupils taking the supplement
perform significantly better (Ford, 2006).
Does consumption of fish oil boost grades, True or False? :
The experiment results showed that students who consumed fish oil had significantly higher
scores than those who did not. However, several questions can be raised about the methods of
conducting the experiment and the actual benefits of Omega-3.
Firstly, the experiment started with 3000 children taking fish oil pills. However, towards the
end of the six months, only 832 students took 80 per cent of the required tablets daily. The
problem here is that the study did not consider that nearly 70 per cent of students stopped
consuming fish oil before the examinations and only studied the results from the 832 students
that were consistently consuming the fish oil. The above skews the findings as it does not
explain why the other students were not consuming the fish oil.
Secondly, the benefits of Omega-3 from fish oil is debatable. While the study conducted by
Durham Education chiefs showed that students who consumed fish oil scored better results
than those who did not, other studies demonstrated conflicting results and the placebo effects
of such an experiment. It is evident in the research done by Nichols that many of these trials
did not report on the placebo results and thus should be taken with caution. Also, he
concludes that Omega-3 is unlikely to be a "magic bullet that creates geniuses." However,
general consumption of Omega-3 supplements will likely boost people's cognitive ability
throughout all age groups. (Nichols, 2014). Hence, the improvement in results of the 832
students is probably not due to the Omega-3 contained within fish oil but rather other factors
such as the placebo effect.
In conclusion, there have been benefits recorded from the consumption of Omega-3 fish oils,
such as improved cognitive abilities. However, there has been no evidence in research done
to support the claim that fish oil improves students' grades, plus the method of experimenting
by the Education chiefs was not strictly enforced. Hence, I rate this claim "False".
Sources:
Nichols, P. D., & Miller, M. R. (2014). Recent advances in Omega-3 : Health benefits,
sources, products and bioavailability (1st edition.). MDPI.
Clark, L. (2008, September 25). Why a daily dose of fish Oils 'can boost your GCSE grades'.
Daily Mail Online. Retrieved September 10, 2021, from
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1062335/Why-daily-dose-fish-oils-boost-G
CSE-grades.html.