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Effect of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplements on Cognitive Performance in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pipasha Khatun, Xin-Xin Li, Xiaoxi Zhu, Jun-Ya Zhai, Amin Ullah, Ya-Cong Bo, Quanjun Lyu

Nutrition reviews, 2025

5 citations

Abstract

CONTEXT

A positive effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) on brain activity has been observed within subjects who have Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the efficacy or ineffectiveness of an n-3 PUFA dietary intervention for cognitive improvement.

OBJECTIVE

To address this problem, our thorough investigation and statistical analysis sought to assess the impact of n-3 PUFA dietary intake on cognitive function among persons diagnosed with AD or MCI.

DATA SOURCES

The databases consulted included PubMed, PubMed Central Library, and the Cochrane Library.

DATA EXTRACTION

Nine articles reporting on the findings of randomized controlled trials that looked at the link between n-3 PUFA intake and cognitive performance-related outcomes were included in the comprehensive evaluation, with the meta-analysis utilizing 7 of these. Key details such as author, publication year, study area, research type, pathology (MCI or AD), were incorporated into the data extraction procedure.

DATA ANALYSIS

Evaluation of the included studies used Cochrane risk-of-bias instruments, a random-effects model, standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs.

RESULTS

Our findings have provided evidence of the effectiveness of an n-3 PUFA treatment in improving Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) (SMD -0.82; 95% CI: -1.57, -0.08; P = .000), information processing (SMD -2.90; 95% CI: -5.25, -0.56; P = .000), and digit…

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