Breath test for dyslexia

A simple breath test could identify children with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and behavioral problems before they start school and ensure they are given essential nutrients to feed the brain.

This method of biochemical testing can identify children who are deficient in the Omega 3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA that are needed by the brain and lacking in today's junk-food diet. The test is non-invasive, and so simple that it can be done on pre-schoolchildren. All a child has to do is to put his mouth around a disposable tube and blow out a single breath for as long as he can.

By measuring the amount of ethane, the breakdown product of Omega 3, the test can show which children and adults could benefit from Omega 3 and Omega 6 supplements - high-grade fish oil and evening primrose.

The test, developed by Marion Ross at the Highland Psychiatric Research Foundation, was used on school children for the first time this year in a large-scale study in Co. Durham UK carried out by the Dyslexic Research Trust and the local education authority.

Until now, the best way to measure for fatty acids has been to take blood samples. The researcher in charge, Dr Alex Richardson, Willis Senior Research Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford, says: 'The test is a follow-on from what doctors were doing 100 years ago. 'When they asked patients to stick out their tongues, they were smelling their breath. What you exude in your breath can tell us a lot about what is going on in the body. Parents of children with dyslexic symptoms often say their child has a funny smell.

'We believe high levels of ethane will help us identify those children using up their Omega 3 fatty acids faster than others, and who would, therefore, benefit from supplements. 'If we can validate this, then we have a simple and inexpensive way of screening. It is important to identify an infant with dyslexic symptoms before they start learning to read or write - otherwise they lose confidence and switch off. 'What we are aiming for is a better scientific understanding of what lies behind children's learning difficulties and behavioral problems, and we are proving that nutrition really does matter.'

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