The DOI matches its Crossref record; 89 of the 89 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Does Consumption of LC Omega-3 PUFA Enhance Cognitive Performance in Healthy School-Aged Children and throughout Adulthood? Evidence from Clinical Trials
Open accessAbstract
Long-chain (LC) omega-3 PUFA derived from marine sources may play an important role in cognitive performance throughout all life stages. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the dominant omega-3 in the brain, is a major component of neuronal cell membranes and affects various neurological pathways and processess. Despite its critical role in brain function, human's capacity to synthesize DHA de novo is limited and its consumption through the diet is important. However, many individuals do not or rarely consume seafood. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT) in healthy school-aged children, younger and older adults to determine whether consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA improves cognitive performance and to make recommendations for future research. Current evidence suggests that consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA, particularly DHA, may enhance cognitive performance relating to learning, cognitive development, memory and speed of performing cognitive tasks. Those who habitually consume diets low in DHA, children with low literacy ability and malnourished and older adults with age-related cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment seem to benefit most. However, study design limitations in many RCTs hamper firm conclusions. The measurement of a uniform biomarker, e.g., % DHA in red blood cells, is essential to establish baseline DHA-status, to determine targets for cognitive performance and to facilitate dosage recommendations. It is recommended that future studies be at least 16 weeks in duration, account for potential interaction effects of gender, age and apolipoprotein E genotype, include vegan/vegetarian populations, include measures of speed of cognitive performance and include brain imaging technologies as supportive information on working mechanisms of LC omega-3 PUFA.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Stonehouse, W.
- Affiliations
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Stonehouse, Welma
- ORCID
- Stonehouse, Welma
- Venue
- Nutrients
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2014-07-22
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 2730-2758
- ISSN
- 2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4113767
- OpenAlex
- W2044948389
- Cited by
- 105
- References
- 89
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 0.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Keywords
- n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, cognitive performance, school-aged children, cognitive development, memory, age-related cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, seafood consumption, APOE genotype, vegetarian and vegan diets
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Brain, Child, Cognition, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Dietary Supplements, Evidence-Based Practice, Young Adult
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