An old wives' tale that seafood is good for the brain could be true, say Oxford scientists.

Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that children with dyslexia and other learning problems benefit from eating fish oils.

After testing 40 special school pupils, Dr Alex Richardson and her team found the youngsters were less anxious, more able to concentrate and significantly better behaved than before after taking the dietary supplement.

The research gives weight to the old myth that fish is good for the brain and the scientists' work is due to be presented to the British Dyslexia Association's conference this week.

Dr Richardson said: "If something as simple as a dietary supplement can make a difference even in a proportion of cases, I would like to see more attention paid to it."

Seafood is the main source of two fats, known as omega-3 series fatty acids, which are central to healthy brain function - but consumption in Britain has decreased in recent years. Dr Richardson gave capsules containing the oils to children at a Reading special school, most of whom had dyslexia.

She found "stark" differences in the children's relaxation, attention span, shyness and emotional volatility while taking omega-3.

Dr Richardson said the symptoms which improved in dyslexic children when given fish oils were also found in youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, suggesting an overlap between the conditions.

Results from a second study, investigating whether fish oils actually help improve youngsters' reading ability, are expected in September.