A STUDY involving North-East children has underlined how food supplements can boost concentration and improve behaviour.

It follows the world's first major trial of a supplement containing a blend of pure fish oil and evening primrose oil in County Durham three years ago.

The ground-breaking Durham Trial, as it is now known, proved that supplements could help six to 12-year-olds with their school work and general concentration.

Now, the evidence that food supplements can help children's development has led Professor Robert Winston, presenter of the BBC Television Child Of Our Time series, to endorse St Ivel advance, a milk product enriched with the essential fatty acid Omega 3. It is the first time Prof Winston has endorsed a product.

The latest study involved 60 children aged between 20 and 36 months, in the Peterlee area of east Durham.

Educational psychologist Dr Madelaine Portwood, who was the lead investigator in the original Durham trial, said the new trial was further evidence that supplements containing high quality fish and evening primrose oil could make a difference to children's learning ability.

Dr Portwood, who believes that children lack Omega 3, said: 'The performance of almost 60 per cent of the children involved has improved dramatically. We saw children whose learning skills went from being six months below their chronological age to age-equivalent in just three months.

"Some two-year-olds went from having a vocabulary of 25 single words to being able to use whole sentences, while others were able to sit down and concentrate for the first time in their lives," said Dr Portwood, who works for Durham County Council's education service.

Mother-of-five Angela Froud, 38, from Peterlee, says she can hardly believe the difference the supplement has made to the learning abilities of her son, Dylan, aged three.

She said: "I have seen a massive improvement in his concentration and his behaviour. Before he started on these supplements, he wouldn't even sit down and watch the television."

"His eating habits have improved as well. He will sit down and eat his food now."

The trial, using fruit-flavoured eye q smooth supplements donated by specialist suppliers Equazen, is part of a project run by Peterlee Sure Start.

The project, which could be a model for the whole country, aims to help disadvantaged children.