Food and Behaviour Research
Dr Alex Richardson
Founder Director of FAB Research
Dr Alex Richardson is a world-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and Founder Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research.
Based at the University of Oxford for 30 years, the impact of her 90+ publications puts Dr Richardson in the top 3% of academic researchers worldwide. A selection of these can be found below, but more details can be found via Google Scholar or Researchgate.
She is best known for her research into how nutrition (and particularly fatty acids) can affect behaviour, learning and mood, as her pioneering clinical trials were the first to show that dietary supplementation with omega-3 (and omega-6) fats can improve behaviour and learning in children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and related conditions; and that this approach may also help many other children without such diagnoses. She also published some of the earliest reports of successful nutritional approaches to both depression and schizophrenia in young adults, which have subsequently been confirmed and extended by others.
Her work has always been highly inter-disciplinary and collaborative, involving several large-scale collaborative programmes that include studies of epidemiology, genetics, brain imaging, biochemistry and nutrition as well as physiological and psychological functioning.
Alex’s research has always been aimed at developing new methods of identification and management that will have real practical benefit. She has therefore always worked closely with a range of education and health practitioners as well as local and national support groups and charities. In addition to her role as a founder director of FAB Research, she also helped to found the Dyslexia Research Trust, was a co-opted Trustee and Scientific Advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation, served on the Biomedical Research Committee of Autism Unravelled, and liaised closely with the Hyperactive Children's Support Group, among many others.
Dr Alex Richardson
DPhil (Oxon), PGCE, FRSA
Main Interests
Dr Alex Richardson main interests centre on:
▸ The role of nutrition in brain health, and its implications for behaviour, learning and mood, particularly in relation to:
- neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and the Autistic Spectrum
- mental health conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder and the schizophrenia spectrum
- the links between mental and physical health – particularly allergies and immune disorders, and gut-brain connections
▸ The importance of individual differences in personality, perception, behaviour and cognition, and their implications for both developmental and psychiatric conditions, and general health and wellbeing.
Recent Speaking Events
See some of Dr Richardson's recent webinars.
● It is vital during pregnancy and early life.
● Learn dietary sources, required intake, and how choline may impact conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, and autism.
● Societal factors influencing women's alcohol consumption.
● How does alcohol affect diet, and deplete nutrients?
● Learn the importance of nutrition in supporting an alcohol-free lifestyle.
● Lack of support and stigma faced by women in alcohol recovery.
Book(s) by Dr Alex Richardson
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Food and Behaviour Research is a registered charity (No SC034604) and a company limited by guarantee (Co No SC 253448)
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Important Notice:
Medical opinion and guidance should always be sought for any symptoms that might possibly reflect a known or suspected disease, disorder or medical condition. Information provided on this website (or by FAB Research via any other means) does not in any way constitute advice on the treatment of any medical condition formally diagnosed or otherwise.