Hormonal
Dietary arachidonic acid (ARA) supplementation improves cognitive function in elderly individuals with low baseline serum ARA levels and enhances visual acuity and cognitive development in preterm infants when added to formula.
If you are elderly and have low arachidonic acid levels, or if you are feeding a preterm infant, ensuring adequate ARA intake (via diet or supplementation) is critical for cognitive and visual development. For the general healthy adult, ARA is an essential component of cell membranes and brain function, so avoiding it is unnecessary and potentially detrimental.
In the elderly too, ARA supplementation improved cognitive functions [31], perhaps via increasing the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells or newborn neurons and general hippocampal neurogenesis [30]. ... adding DHA and ARA to preterm-infant formulas led to improved visual acuity, visual attention and cognitive development [82–85].
Why this rating
The paper is a review citing multiple studies; it does not present a single new clinical trial but synthesizes evidence of benefit.
Source
Arachidonic acid: Physiological roles and potential health benefits – A review
Hatem Tallima et al. · Journal of Advanced Research · 2017
DOI 10.1016/j.jare.2017.11.004
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