Children suffering from dyslexia, dyspraxia and hyperactivity can often be helped by a supplement of fatty acids to their diet, experts said Wednesday.
A lack of essential fatty acids in modern diets was a likely cause of dyslexia and reading difficulties, dyspraxia's extreme clumsiness and the unsociable behavior of the hyperactive child.Dr Jackie Stordy of the University of Surrey told a news conference test results showed that clumsy children treated with a combination of essential lipids with thyme oil, which promotes the incorporation of these lipids into the brain and eye, made a noticeable improvement in manual dexterity after three months.
Lipids are fats which make up cell membranes and regulate almost all cell functions.
The news conference was organized by Efamol, a subsidiary of Scotia Holdings Plc, which produces the dietary supplement for this treatment. Its product, Efalex, contains tuna oil, evening primrose oil, vitamin E and thyme oil.
Dr. Basant Puri, from London's Hammersmith Hospital, said dyslexic brains show differences in cell structure.
"Dyslexics are poor at processing very rapid changes in visual stimulation and contribute to the perceptual disturbances that many dyslexics describe when trying to read," Puri said.
But Puri said precise reasons had not yet been discovered.
Puri's researches were undertaken with a magnetic resonance spectroscope brain-scanner at Hammersmith hospital.
Dyslexics are found across the whole range of intelligence. It is often inherited. Children affected have difficulty reading, writing, and spelling. They often confuse right and left, time and tense.
Dyspraxics find it difficult to catch balls, and lack a sense of direction, position or time. They have poor concentration and memory.
Hyperactive children are often impulsive and crave immediate satisfaction. They can be irritated by touch, smells and sounds and suffer stress from new or unpredictable situations.
Some children show symptoms across all three categories.
Stordy said dyspraxic children taking a fatty acid supplement had improved measurably after three months.