The Middlesbrough Trial
Based on the results of the Durham-Oxford Trial, the researchers were eager to see whether high-EPA supplementation would help a larger and more general school population. Thus, the Middlesbrough Trial was born. (Middlesbrough is the neighboring education authority to Durham, UK.)
Explains educational psychologist and lead researcher Dr. Madeleine Portwood on a recently televised BBC documentary:
“The results are now in and they have exceeded my expectations. Children who were already functioning well above their age, for example, an 8-year old reading at a 13-year level. Three months into the trial, he was reading at a 17-year level. Certainly the trend is suggesting that children of all abilities are achieving their full potential.”
The documentary reported on initial comparisons between the active high-EPA group, and the placebo group, at the three-month point; after which all went on active treatment.The researchers will submit a complete report on the six-month data to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
According to Equazen, the company who supplied the high-EPA capsules, key aspects of the trial are:
- A total of 270 children from eight schools took part (compared with about 120 in Durham).
- Unlike Durham, they were recruited from the general school population, rather than on the basis of any specific learning condition.
- The trial design was the same robust format as Durham: a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled design with a one-way cross-over.
- Local Education Authority investigators used standardised tests to assess if the fatty acids had any impact on reading and learning ability.
- The trial is the largest-ever high-EPA study on learning and behaviour.
The study will expand on the knowledge discovered in the Durham Trial because:
- It is more than twice the size, meaning any effect observed will have strong statistical significance.
- It involves mainstream students, and so has implications for nutrition and learning amongst the general school population.
- Testing of the same fatty acid formulation, and by the same design, will now have been undertaken by another education authority.
- Hundreds of children from numerous schools and varying backgrounds have now been assessed completely independently in trials run by these government authorities.
Here’s a peek at recent news coverage of this yet-to-be-completed trial:
When I hear more about the results of this trial, I will post them on this blog. Ω