SynthesisLipids2005
The effect of alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid on the growth and development of formula-fed infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Lipids, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of milk type and fortification on the growth of low-birthweight infants: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Maternal & child nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Hindmilk as a Rescue Therapy in Very Preterm Infants with Suboptimal Growth Velocity.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Food and Drug Administration Expert Panel on Infant Formula "Operation Stork Speed" June 2025: Part 1, Nutrient Considerations.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026Review
- Infant formula containing large, milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets and dairy lipids affects cognitive performance at school age.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
- Perspective: Moving Toward Desirable Linoleic Acid Content in Infant Formula.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2021Review
- Comparison Among Commonly Available Infant Formula Milks in the Iraqi Market.Global pediatric health · 2015Article
- Essential fats: how do they affect growth and development of infants and young children in developing countries? A literature review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2011Review
- Evaluating the trans fatty acid, CLA, PUFA and erucic acid diversity in human milk from five regions in China.Lipids · 2009Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of modifying 18-carbon PUFA [18-C PUFA: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6)] in the diets of term and preterm infants on DHA (22:6n-3) status, growth, and developmental outcomes. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) involving formula-fed term and preterm infants, in which the 18-C PUFA composition of the formula was changed and growth or developmental outcomes were measured, were included. Differences were presented as control (standard formula) and treatment (18-C PUFA-supplemented formula). Primary analyses for term infants were 4 and 12 mon and for preterm infants 37-42 and 57 wk postmenstrual age. Five RCT involving term infants and three RCT involving preterm infants were included in the systematic review. Infants fed ALA-supplemented formula had significantly higher plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid DHA levels than control infants. There was no effect of ALA supplementation on the growth of preterm infants. In term infants, ALA supplementation was associated with increased weight and length at 12 mon, which was at least 4 mon after the end of dietary intervention. Developmental indices of term infants did not differ between groups. There was a transient improvement in the retinal function of preterm infants fed ALA-supplemented diets compared with controls. The findings suggest that ALA-supplemented diets improve the DHA status of infants. Further studies are needed to provide convincing evidence regarding the effects of ALA supplementation of formula on infant growth and development.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.