SynthesisNutrients2026
''Not a Universal Effect'': Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cognition from Pregnancy to Adolescence-A Narrative Review and Nutritional Guidance for a Mediterranean Population.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are an important class of bioactive lipid mediators, essential for brain development from gestation through adolescence. Yet human studies evaluating the benefits of PUFAs for cognition remain inconsistent. This narrative review synthesizes studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar examining PUFA intake, status, and supplementation in relation to cognitive and neurodevelopmental outcomes. It uses a thematic approach rather than the systematic search and screening protocol of a systematic review. This review also discusses the genetic determinants of PUFA metabolism and their association with neurodevelopmental outcomes, in addition to nutritional recommendations for Lebanon, a Mediterranean country. Animal models consistently show neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 PUFAs during critical windows of brain development. However, evidence from human studies evaluating the cognitive benefits of PUFAs remains limited and inconsistent, with more pronounced benefits in specific populations with low baseline PUFA status, learning difficulties, ADHD, or preterm birth. Genetic variation in genes involved in PUFA metabolism such as FADS1, FADS2, and ELOVL2/5 affects the capacity to synthesize long-chain PUFAs from dietary precursors, helping explain variability in response to omega-3 supplementation. Lebanon's traditional Mediterranean diet already supplies PUFAs and MUFAs; the real challenge is improving adherence to it through nutrition education and policy.
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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.