• Question: In a previous question, Catriona said that eating eggs and getting some omega 3 would be a good way to set yourself up for exams. I thought a big study was done in Scotland that showed Omega 3 had little impact and where does the egg thing come from?

    Asked by mrgsimpson to Emma, Ian, Iroise, Joe, Kathrin on 20 Apr 2015.
    • Photo: Joseph Devlin

      Joseph Devlin answered on 20 Apr 2015:

      I saw the answers to that question and wondered the same. Indeed, it was particularly interesting in light of a specific question about the value of omega-3 fatty acids:

      /learning-zone/2015/04/14/i-read-that-fish-oils-are-supposed-to-help-with-brain-function-please-could-you-explain-how-this-works/

      I think this may be a perfect example of “experts” offering conflicting advice 😉 My understanding (which is limited — this isn’t my field) is that the evidence doesn’t support including omega-3 fatty acids in a breakfast before exams. The effects tend to be more long lasting and most important for people with poor diets who might not be getting enough essential fats otherwise.

      No idea where the egg thing comes from. Hope someone can help out here!

Comments

  • Photo: Catriona

    Catriona commented on :

    Indeed, so-called “experts” will offer conflicting advice, and this is the nature of science!

  • Photo: mrgsimpson

    mrgsimpson commented on :

    Where does the egg thing come from Catriona?

  • Photo: Lia - WellcomeTrust

    Lia - WellcomeTrust commented on :

    This is part of the reason why where possible we’re trying to help connect teachers with the research that’s available, so they can make informed decisions themselves…

  • Photo: Paul

    Paul commented on :

    This is quite a complicated answer but the summary is “don’t get too excited about Omega 3”. Until quite recently, most studies (~6-8) of supplementing your Omega 3 (which can obtained by fish oils, linseed oil, walnuts, apparently some eggs etc etc) focused on children with developmental disorders. They produced almost an equal balance of positive or no results on development. Two recent studies on large cohorts of “normal” children were unable to confirm any interesting effects on cognition. I’m aware that a PhD student at Bristol also spent some years analysing a large database here (Children of the 9o’s) for Omega 3 dietary effects on cognition and showed no effects.
    However…..there is quiet convincing evidence that maternal Omega 3 diet does influence cognitive outcomes a little (including changes in diet of Inuit tribes in the Canadian Arctic) and a variety of developmental disorders are
    associated with Omega 3 deficit, and Omega 3 has other putative health benefits (heart, joints) and our Omega 3 levels have sunk since we gave up being hunter-gatherers (and gone through the floor for veggies like me). But none of this circumstantial evidence adds up to cognitive benefits for eating more fish long after birth. Ultimately….I’m sorry to say…..more research needed!! (although that doesn’t stop the Omega 3 industry – worth over 8 billion dollars a year)

  • Photo: Paul

    Paul commented on :

    Oh….and you may find Ben Goldacre amusing on this:
    http://www.badscience.net/category/fish-oil/
    I’m a bit less scathing than Ben (i like to keep an open mind on this one) …but he makes some very valuable points…