A simple vitamin pill can calm unruly children, says a British study designed to investigate the effects of supplements on the behavior and school performance of teens who attended a school in a disadvantaged community in east London.

Researchers enrolled 196 healthy children aged 13 to 16 in the 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. One group was given a nutritional supplement called WellTeen, designed for teenagers and young adults. It contains 25 nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Blood samples were taken to measure changes in vitamin, mineral, omega-3, and omega-6 levels over the study. Levels were low at the beginning of the study, but had improved significantly by the end in students who took the supplement.

Changes in behavior were measured using a conventional diagnostic test (Conner's scale) to measure the children's behavior, as well as school disciplinary records. The conduct of the children who were badly behaved improved while they were taking the supplements, while the behavior of children taking the placebo worsened.

Bad behavior of the most badly behaved children in the group who took supplements decreased by 50 percent.

"Our research adds to the growing body of evidence that nutrition can impact the cognitive health and behavior of children, not least from underprivileged backgrounds," said lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Tammam.

"These findings have implications for public health policy and are useful in working towards the aim of understanding how improvements in dietary intake can benefit the health and lives of individuals and society," he said.

The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.