A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of high-content DHA fish oil on enhancing attention

This study employed a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate the effects of high-DHA fish oil on attention in healthy adults. Forty-four participants aged 24-55 years were recruited (43 completed the study: 22 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group). The intervention group received 1200mg of fish oil, while the control group received 1200mg of algal oil. Participants consumed the test products for 90 consecutive days, and their levels of attention were assessed at baseline (D0), day 30 (D30), and day 90 (D90) using the Stroop test and the MemTrax (MTX) task. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that the intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in Stroop mean response delay (Day 30: -16.05%, p<0.05; Day 90: -23.46%, p<0.05) and a significant improvement in Stroop accuracy (Day 30: +15.74%, p<0.05; Day 90: +18.42%, p<0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group showed a significant decrease in MTX multi-tasking reaction time (Day 30: -9.65%, p<0.05; Day 90: -19.30%, p<0.05) and an increase in accuracy (Day 30: +19.82%, p<0.05; Day 90: +25.61%, p<0.05). No significant improvements in attention were observed in the control group. The findings indicate that the high-DHA fish oil formulation used in the intervention group is more effective than the algal oil formulation used in the control group in improving attention. This evidence supports the application of high-concentration DHA fish oil in cognitive health management, demonstrating that a high-concentration DHA formulation improves attention, with its effects increasing over the 90-day intervention period.