Sydney, July 31: Fish oil can improve kids' spelling skills and stop them missing school, according to a new research.

South African researchers have told an Australian scientific conference that primary school children who were given daily doses of fish oil as part of a study showed improved learning and memory.

Fish oil, rich in Omega 3 and special polyunsaturated fatty acids, is believed to play a role in the brain development and function of the fetus and young child.

Scientist Dr Marius Smuts, from the Nutritional Intervention Research Centre in South Africa, tracked the development of 355 children aged between six and nine.

Half of the children were given two slices of bread covered with 25 grams of spread enriched with fish oil but flavored with either chicken, curry or tomato sauce.

Dr Smuts told the Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Cairns, he found the children were able to retain information better and were less inclined to take sick days.

"The study indicated that an Omega 3 fatty acid rich spread not only improved verbal learning, memory and spelling ability among the experimental subjects, but also lessened the number of days the children were absent from school through illness," he was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald, as saying. (ANI)