Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Meta-analysis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation of formula and infant cognition
Ahmad Qawasmi1, Angeli Landeros-Weisenberger, James F Leckman
1Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Insights
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) supplementation in infant formula does not significantly improve early cognitive development. Further research is needed to explore potential long-term neurodevelopmental benefits.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Infant formula often includes long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) based on the hypothesis that they enhance cognitive development.
- Numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the impact of LCPUFA supplementation on infant cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy of LCPUFA supplementation in infant formula on early cognitive development.
- To synthesize evidence from RCTs to determine the effect of LCPUFA on cognitive outcomes in infants.
Main Methods:
- A systematic search of PubMed, PsychInfo, and Scopus was performed to identify relevant RCTs.
- The meta-analysis included 12 trials with 1802 infants, focusing on cognitive outcomes measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.
- Secondary analyses explored the influence of LCPUFA dose, sample characteristics, and methodological quality.
Main Results:
- The meta-analysis found no statistically significant effect of LCPUFA supplementation on infant cognitive development.
- No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was detected among the included trials.
- Subgroup analyses and meta-regression did not reveal significant effects of LCPUFA dose or infant prematurity status on cognitive outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence indicates that LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula does not enhance early cognitive development.
- Further investigation is warranted to assess potential benefits of LCPUFA for later cognitive milestones and other neurodevelopmental markers.
Background And Objective:
Infant formula is supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) because they are hypothesized to improve cognition. Several randomized controlled clinical trials have examined the effect of LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula on cognitive development. We conducted this meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula on early cognitive development.
Methods:
Two authors searched PubMed, PsychInfo, and Scopus for randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the efficacy of LCPUFA supplementation of infant formulas on cognition. Our analysis was restricted to randomized controlled clinical trials that examined the effect of LCPUFA supplementation on infant cognition using Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Our primary outcome was the weighted mean difference in Bayley Scales of Infant Development score between infants fed formula supplemented with LCPUFA compared with unsupplemented formula. We conducted secondary subgroup analyses and meta-regression to examine the effects of study sample, LCPUFA dose, and trial methodologic quality on measured efficacy of supplementation.
Results:
Twelve trials involving 1802 infants met our inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis demonstrated no significant effect of LCPUFA supplementation of formula on infant cognition. There was no significant heterogeneity or publication bias between trials. Secondary analysis failed to show any significant effect of LCPUFA dosing or prematurity status on supplementation efficacy.
Conclusions:
LCPUFA supplementation of infant formulas failed to show any significant effect on improving early infant cognition. Further research is needed to determine if LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula has benefits for later cognitive development or other measures of neurodevelopment.
