ReviewNutrients2011
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): an ancient nutrient for the modern human brain.
Review in Nutrients, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 97 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
97 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 303 citations in OpenAlex.
- Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids therapy for stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids therapy for stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Brain Health across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review on the Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements.Nutrients · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Maternal Docosahexaenoic Acid Status during Pregnancy and Its Impact on Infant Neurodevelopment.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- Omega-3 Fatty Acid Plasma Levels Before and After Supplementation: Correlations with Mood and Clinical Outcomes in the Omega-3 and Therapy Studies.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2017Trial
- Effects of different arachidonic acid supplementation on psychomotor development in very preterm infants; a randomized controlled trial.Nutrition journal · 2015Trial
- Adolescent Dietary Supplementation of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Alleviates PTSD-Like Fear Memory and Affective Dysregulation in Rats.Smart medicine · 2026Article
- Natural Bioactive Compounds in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Properties, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Eicosapentaenoic acid reprograms cerebrovascular metabolism and impairs repair after brain injury, with relevance to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Potential Anti-Aging Effects of a Dietary Supplement From the Algal-Derived Omega-3 DHA in Aged SAMP 8 Mice.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- The Role of Dietary Schizochytrium Powder in Chicken Production Performance, Egg Quality, and Antioxidant Status.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Impact of APOE on cerebrovascular lipid profile in Alzheimer's disease.Acta neuropathologica · 2025Article
- MFSD2A in Focus: the Molecular Mechanism of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Transport.Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Review
- Novel Environmentally-Friendly Process for Selective Extraction and Enrichment of DHA/EPA-Containing Phospholipids from Krill Oil via Differential Temperature-Controlled Crystallization.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effect of Maternal Dietary DHA and Prenatal Stress Mouse Model on Autistic-like Behaviors, Lipid Peroxidation Activity, and GABA Expression in Offspring Pups.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- HYPOTHESIS: Lipid-protecting disulfide bridges are the missing molecular link between ApoE4 and sporadic Alzheimer's disease in humans.Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids · 2025Article
- Metabolic Engineering ofACS engineering Au · 2025Article
- Dysregulation of Serum Exosomal Lipid Metabolism in Schizophrenia: A Biomarker Perspective.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Genetic mapping of serum metabolome to chronic diseases among Han Chinese.Cell genomics · 2025Article
37 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Modern humans have evolved with a staple source of preformed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the diet. An important turning point in human evolution was the discovery of high-quality, easily digested nutrients from coastal seafood and inland freshwater sources. Multi-generational exploitation of seafood by shore-based dwellers coincided with the rapid expansion of grey matter in the cerebral cortex, which characterizes the modern human brain. The DHA molecule has unique structural properties that appear to provide optimal conditions for a wide range of cell membrane functions. This has particular implications for grey matter, which is membrane-rich tissue. An important metabolic role for DHA has recently been identified as the precursor for resolvins and protectins. The rudimentary source of DHA is marine algae; therefore it is found concentrated in fish and marine oils. Unlike the photosynthetic cells in algae and higher plants, mammalian cells lack the specific enzymes required for the de novo synthesis of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the precursor for all omega-3 fatty acid syntheses. Endogenous synthesis of DHA from ALA in humans is much lower and more limited than previously assumed. The excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acids in the modern Western diet further displaces DHA from membrane phospholipids. An emerging body of research is exploring a unique role for DHA in neurodevelopment and the prevention of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. DHA is increasingly being added back into the food supply as fish oil or algal oil supplementation.
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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.