Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to optimize cognitive function for military mission-readiness: a systematic review and recommendations for the field

Abstract

Context: There has been interest in identifying whether nutrients might help optimize cognitive performance, especially for the military tasked with ensuring mission-readiness.

Objective: This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence for n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) across various outcomes related to cognitive function in healthy adult populations in order to develop research recommendations concerning n-3 PUFAs for mission-readiness.

Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library were searched.

Study selection: Peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials published in the English language were eligible.

Data extraction: Thirteen included trials were assessed for methodological quality, and descriptive data were extracted.

Data synthesis: Of the acceptable-quality (n = 8) and high-quality (n = 1) studies, 2 produced no statistically significant results, 5 produced mixed results, and 2 did not report between-group results.

Conclusions: Results indicate that ingestion of n-3 PUFAs does not significantly alter cognitive performance in cognitively healthy persons. Studies exposing subjects to adverse circumstances that would be most relevant for drawing conclusions specifically for the military population are lacking. Several research recommendations are offered to enhance understanding of the role of fatty acids on cognitive functioning.

Keywords: cognitive brain function; fatty acids; healthy; military; mission-readiness; systematic review.