Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40521871›Full record

SynthesisMaternal & child nutrition2025

Early Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Supplementation on Long- and Short-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm or Low Birth Weight Infants: A Meta-Analysis.

Yakun Liu, Guoqing Zhang, Tingwei Chen, Hanyi Kong, Shungen Huang

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Maternal & child nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Yakun LiuGeneral Surgery Department, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7778-2309
Guoqing ZhangDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China.
Tingwei ChenGeneral Surgery Department, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow, China.
Hanyi KongGeneral Surgery Department, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow, China.
Shungen HuangGeneral Surgery Department, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation on neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm or low birth weight (LBW) infants is controversial. This study aims to evaluate the effects of early LCPUFA supplementation on short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm or LBW infants. This study was previously registered (CRD42024503566). We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Database through January 2024. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) or follow-up studies comparing early LCPUFA supplementation to placebo or no supplementation in preterm or LBW infants were included. Outcomes assessed included long-term (≥ 5 years) and short-term (< 5 years) measures, such as IQ, neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI), mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI). A random-effects model was used to pool outcome data. Thirteen RCTs involving 3360 participants were analysed. Due to imprecision, it was unclear whether LCPUFA supplementation had a beneficial or harmful effect on long-term IQ (SMD, 0.00; 95% CI, -0.32 to 0.33; I2 = 63%; very low certainty) or on the risk of NDI (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.55-1.08; low certainty), as the confidence intervals allow for potentially clinically meaningful effects. LCPUFA supplementation may reduce the risk of intellectual disability (RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36-0.93; moderate certainty). The evidence did not clearly show short-term neurodevelopmental benefits. Evidence quality varied from moderate to very low. LCPUFA supplementation may not improve most neurodevelopmental outcomes, but could reduce the risk of intellectual disability in preterm or LBW infants. Further studies with long-term follow-up are recommended.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentDietary SupplementsFatty Acids, UnsaturatedInfant, Low Birth WeightInfant, PrematureNeurodevelopmental DisordersFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicFatty Acids, UnsaturatedDHAdocosahexaenoic acidintelligenceneurodevelopmentpremature infants

Identifiers

PMID40521871
PMCPMC12454187

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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 Socratic graph.