Fishy Food

But not only is a low-fat diet important, making sure you get enough Omega 3s seems to be as well. We get most of these fatty acids from eating fish and recent research into neurological problems like dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia seems to link these conditions to a deficiency in Omega 3s, especially in the womb.

Could taking supplements help these conditions? A study conducted last year at Oxford University looked at the effect of giving Omega 3 supplements to kids with dyspraxia. They found that the reading age of those given Omega 3s rose by 9.5 months over a period of 3 months - whereas the group given a placebo only rose by 3.3 months. Other studies have shown that Omega 3s also help improve behaviour, attention and IQ.

In terms of obtaining naturally-occurring Omega 3s, modern diets seem to contain much more vegetable oils (Omega 6s) than fish oils. Early humans tended to eat an equal amount of each - and some scientists believe that fish oils facilitated growth in human cognition.

But global supplies of fish are diminishing - which creates a paradox when it comes to eating more fish. People are trying to come up with other ways of obtaining Omega 3s - a Swiss company, for example, is trying to farm a species of algae that could supply the fatty acid. If it works - it could be an alternative - and ice cream with fish proteins could be as close as we get to having fish on the menu...

For more info:

BBC - Fishy start for low-fat ice cream
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5116506.stm

Guardian Unlimited - Mass medication with Omega 3 would wipe out global fish stocks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1801508,00.html