ReviewNutrients2013
The relationship of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with learning and behavior in healthy children: a review.
Review in Nutrients, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03402789 (Pilot Study to Evaluate Docosahexaenoic Acid as Treatment for Residual Amblyopia), which is not on this map. Cited by 60 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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.
Pilot Study to Evaluate Docosahexaenoic Acid as Treatment for Residual Amblyopia
Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Effects of LC-PUFA Supplementation in Patients with Phenylketonuria: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Maternal FADS2 single nucleotide polymorphism modified the impact of prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on child neurodevelopment at 5 years: Follow-up of a randomized clinical trial.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2021Trial
- No effect of 6-month supplementation with 300 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid on executive functions among healthy school-aged children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.European journal of nutrition · 2021Trial
- Effects of LC-PUFA supply via complementary food on infant development-a food based intervention (RCT) embedded in a total diet concept.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2020Trial
- Еffects of fortified milk on cognitive abilities in school-aged children: results from a randomized-controlled trial.European journal of nutrition · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Impact of the n-6:n-3 long-chain PUFA ratio during pregnancy and lactation on offspring neurodevelopment: 5-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2017Trial
- The effect of APOE genotype on the delivery of DHA to cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2016Trial
- Omega-3 fatty acids in first-episode schizophrenia - a randomized controlled study of efficacy and relapse prevention (OFFER): rationale, design, and methods.BMC psychiatry · 2015Trial
- Dietary and Formulation Potential of Natural Oils and Fats in Ocular Health and Disease: Mechanisms, Evidence, and Future Directions.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Land use is associated with Indigenous maternal death occurrence through Native and Western food security.iScience · 2026Article
- Retinopathy of prematurity and cognitive development in enteral docosahexaenoic acid-supplemented preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Translational pediatrics · 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
- Eco-friendly Advancements through Fish Waste: A Review of Therapeutic and Industrial Innovations.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2026Review
- The Role of Dietary Schizochytrium Powder in Chicken Production Performance, Egg Quality, and Antioxidant Status.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Docosahexaenoic acid ameliorates autistic-like behaviors by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory response in neonatal maternal separation rats.Pediatric discovery · 2025Article
- A Longitudinal Study of Baseline Fatty Acid Concentrations and Executive Function Over 12 Months Among Adolescents With and Without Perinatal HIV Exposure or Infection From Kampala, Uganda.The Journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Land Use Barriers to Native and Western Food Security are Associated with Indigenous Maternal Death Occurrence and Changes to Nutritional Value of a Key Traditional Food.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 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
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Childhood is a period of brain growth and maturation. The long chain omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is a major lipid in the brain recognized as essential for normal brain function. In animals, low brain DHA results in impaired learning and behavior. In infants, DHA is important for optimal visual and cognitive development. The usual intake of DHA among toddlers and children is low and some studies show improvements in cognition and behavior as the result of supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids including DHA. The purpose of this review was to identify and evaluate current knowledge regarding the relationship of DHA with measures of learning and behavior in healthy school-age children. A systematic search of the literature identified 15 relevant publications for review. The search found studies which were diverse in purpose and design and without consistent conclusions regarding the treatment effect of DHA intake or biomarker status on specific cognitive tests. However, studies of brain activity reported benefits of DHA supplementation and over half of the studies reported a favorable role for DHA or long chain omega-3 fatty acids in at least one area of cognition or behavior. Studies also suggested an important role for DHA in school performance.
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.