Children would be smarter if they eat fish at least once a week, a new study among 15-year-old boys has discovered.
The boys who ate fish once a week saw their intelligence scores improve 6 per cent, and those who ate fish more regularly improved by an average of 11 per cent.
Swedish researchers are excited by the results, as it suggests that even older adolescents can improve their overall intelligence at a time when they are beginning to sit exams.
The study monitored the diets of 3,972 boys for three years from the ages of 15 to 18, and found a direct correlation between fish eating and cognitive skills, measured by verbal and visuo-spatial intelligence tests.
They found that those who ate fish more than once a week recorded an average 12 per cent higher score than boys who ate fish less than once a week.
The improvements were seen across all groups and social backgrounds, and were not influenced by the education levels of the parents.
(Source: Acta Paediatrica, 2009; 98: 555.)