SynthesisNutrients2021
Efficacy and Safety of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Supplementation in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 4 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Baseline omega-3 nutritional status and supplementation response in pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and biomarker-stratified meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of nutritional supplements on gut microbiome in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Metabolomic Markers in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among Children and Adolescents-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Mental Disorders: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Resolving Inflammation in CKD: The Potential of SPMs and Omega-3 Derivatives as Biomarkers and Therapeutics.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Metabolomic Profile in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Gut-Brain Inflammatory Pathways in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Role and Therapeutic Potential of Diet.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Metabolomic Insights into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Scoping Review.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Nutritional Quality Implications: Exploring the Impact of a Fatty Acid-Rich Diet on Central Nervous System Development.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Lipid Rafts: The Maestros of Normal Brain Development.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Review
- Red blood cell omega-3 fatty acids and attention scores in healthy adolescents.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2023Article
- Nutrition in the Management of ADHD: A Review of Recent Research.Current nutrition reports · 2023Review
- Long-term changes in serum levels of lipoproteins in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2023Article
- Home-based brain-computer interface attention training program for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a feasibility trial.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2023Article
- Long-Term Effects of an Oligoantigenic Diet in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Core Symptomatology.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Review
- Role of Nutrition and Diet on Healthy Mental State.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Usefulness of Cochrane Reviews in Clinical Guideline Development-A Survey of 585 Recommendations.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Based on epidemiological and animal studies, the rationale for using polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) seems promising. Here, the objective was to systematically identify and critically assess the evidence from clinical trials. The primary outcome was ADHD core symptoms. The secondary outcomes were behavioral difficulties, quality of life, and side effects. We performed a systematic search in Medline, Embase, Cinahl, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library up to June 2020. The overall certainty of evidence was evaluated using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). We identified 31 relevant randomized controlled trials including 1755 patients. The results showed no effect on ADHD core symptoms rated by parents (k = 23; SMD: -0.17; 95% CI: -0.32, -0.02) or teachers (k = 10; SMD: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.31, 0.19). There was no effect on behavioral difficulties, rated by parents (k = 7; SMD: -0.02; 95% CI: -0.17, 0.14) or teachers (k = 5; SMD: -0.04; 95% CI: -0.35, 0.26). There was no effect on quality of life (SMD: 0.01; 95% CI: -0.29, 0.31). PUFA did not increase the occurrence of side effects. For now, there seems to be no benefit of PUFA in ADHD treatment; however, the certainty of evidence is questionable, and thus no conclusive guidance can be made. The protocol is registered in PROSPERO ID: CRD42020158453.
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.