Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35373862›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2022

The effects of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation on cognition and well-being in mild cognitive impairment: A 12-month randomised controlled trial.

Alexia Mengelberg, Janet Leathem, John Podd, Stephen Hill, Cathryn Conlon

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
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  13. Article
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  16. Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Depression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

  • Commented on by
    2022
5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Alexia MengelbergSchool of Psychology, Massey University Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Janet LeathemSchool of Psychology, Massey University Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
John PoddSchool of Psychology, Massey University Manawatu, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Stephen HillSchool of Psychology, Massey University Manawatu, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Cathryn ConlonSchool of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University Albany, Auckland, New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSeveral recent clinical trials have shown that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements have a significant effect on cognition in cognitively impaired older adults. This randomised controlled trial aimed to investigate the cognitive effects of a DHA fish oil supplement in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, and to examine the moderating effect of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele on cognition and well-being. METHODS/

designSeventy-two older adults between the ages of 60 and 90 from New Zealand were given a DHA supplement equivalent to 1491 mg DHA + 351 mg eicosapentaenoic acid per day or a placebo for a period of 12 months. Outcome measures included cognition, wellbeing and self-rated quality of life as well as height, weight, blood pressure and APOE genotyping.

resultsThe final analysis (n = 60) found no evidence of a treatment effect on cognitive measures, although did find a treatment effect on systolic blood pressure (p = 0.03, ƞ

conclusionsDespite no effect on cognition, the positive result in APOE ɛ4 carriers on depression and anxiety scores and on systolic blood pressure justifies further DHA trials. It may be a prudent step going forward for more studies to replicate the design elements (dose, duration and cognitive measures) of previous DHA trials to help understand why not all older adults appear to benefit from taking a fish oil supplement.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDocosahexaenoic AcidsAgedCognitionDietary SupplementsDouble-Blind MethodHumansQuality of LifeDocosahexaenoic AcidsAPOE ɛ4 carriersDHAEPAmild cognitive impairment

Identifiers

PMID35373862
PMCPMC9321856

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.