A HEADteacher who took part in a ground-breaking nutritional trial is urging teenagers to consider taking food supplements before exams.

Timothy Hackworth Primary, in Shildon, was one of a number of County Durham schools that took part in the experiment four years ago.

The study, funded by Durham County Council in association with Oxford University, found that those pupils who took capsules containing eye q, a combination of fish oil and evening primrose oil, were able to improve their attention span and concentration.

Andrew Westerman, who is a leading UK educationalist as well as being headteacher at Timothy Hackworth, said that although the Durham results involved 120 under-12s, the lessons learnt were still relevant for teenagers sitting exams.

Mr Westerman, who is a guest lecturer at Durham University's education department, said: "The brain uses large amounts of energy to concentrate and, inevitably, most teenagers are going to find it very hard to keep concentration levels at their optimum for the length of the typical written exam.

"The results of the trial in Durham indicate that taking eye q may help pupils stay on task for much longer, improve their short-term memory and help them filter out any distractions.

"Exams are tough on all pupils, but there are easy steps that can be taken to help, and taking a fish oil supplement such as eye q could definitely be one of them."

Eye q supplements contain fatty acids supplied in their natural form.

This includes fish oil from sardines and pilchards to deliver the highest natural source of EPA, the long-chain fatty acid that is thought to help eye and brain function.

The other component is additive-free virgin evening primrose oil.

The eye q range is available from many high street shops and supermarkets.