Comparison 1. Fatty acid supplementation versus placebo.

Outcome or subgroup title	No. of studies	No. of participants	Statistical method	Effect size
1 Language development	2		Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
1.1 Up to12 months	1	162	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.14 [‐0.44, 0.17]
1.2 12 to 24 months	1	89	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.42 [‐0.84, 0.01]
1.3 Beyond 24 months	2	187	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.27 [‐0.56, 0.02]
2 Intelligence or problem‐solving ability	4		Std. Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
2.1 Up to 12 months	2	331	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	‐0.13 [‐0.34, 0.09]
2.2 12 to 24 months	2	235	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	‐0.12 [‐0.38, 0.13]
2.3 Beyond 24 months	3	238	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.00 [‐0.36, 0.36]
3 Psychomotor development	3		Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
3.1 Short term 12 months	1	52	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.11 [‐0.75, 0.54]
3.2 Medium term 12 to 24 months	2	123	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.05 [‐0.32, 0.43]
3.3 Beyond 24 months	1	113	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.11 [‐0.48, 0.26]
4 Motor development	2		Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
4.1 Short term 12 months	2	262	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.07 [‐0.18, 0.31]
4.2 Long term beyond 24 months	1	115	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.23 [‐0.60, 0.14]
5 General movements	1		Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
5.1 At 2 weeks of life	1	70	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.05 [0.58, 1.91]
5.2 At 12 weeks of life	1	77	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.12 [0.58, 2.14]
6 Child attention	1		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
6.1 Short term 12 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
6.2 Medium term 12 to 24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
6.3 Long term beyond 24 months	1	110	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	4.70 [1.30, 8.10]
7 Working memory and inhibitory control	1		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
7.1 Short term up to 12 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
7.2 Medium term 12‐24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
7.3 Long term beyond 24 months	1	63	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.02 [‐0.07, 0.03]
8 Neurological Optimality Score			Other data	No numeric data
8.1 Short term up to 12 months			Other data	No numeric data
8.2 Medium term 12‐24 months			Other data	No numeric data
8.3 Long term beyond 24 months			Other data	No numeric data
9 Child visual acuity	3		Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
9.1 Short term up to 12 months	3	293	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.07 [‐0.30, 0.17]
9.2 Short term 12 months (excluding Gibson 1997)	2	257	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.09 [‐0.33, 0.16]
9.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	0	0	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
9.4 Long term beyond 24 months	1	111	Std. Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.33 [‐0.04, 0.71]
10 Child weight [grams]	5		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
10.1 At birth	1	188	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.18 [0.03, 0.32]
10.2 Short term up to 12 months	3	558	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.26 [0.03, 0.50]
10.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	1	62	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.56 [‐0.67, ‐0.45]
10.4 Long term beyond 24 months	4	441	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.13 [‐0.49, 0.74]
11 Child length	5		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
11.1 At birth	1	188	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.40 [‐0.32, 1.12]
11.2 Short term up to 12 months	3	611	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.15 [‐0.21, 0.50]
11.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	1	62	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.10 [‐0.22, 0.42]
11.4 Long term beyond 24 months	4	441	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.39 [‐1.37, 0.60]
12 Child head circumference	5		Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
12.1 At birth	1	188	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.30 [‐0.14, 0.74]
12.2 Short term up to 12 months	3	611	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.28 [0.02, 0.55]
12.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	1	62	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.70 [0.49, 0.91]
12.4 Long term beyond 24 months	3	298	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.15 [‐0.27, 0.58]
13 Child BMI	2		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
13.1 At birth	1	188	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.5 [0.14, 0.86]
13.2 Short term up to 12 months	1	170	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.20 [‐0.24, 0.64]
13.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
13.4 Long term beyond 24 months	1	115	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.20 [‐0.35, 0.75]
14 Child fat mass	2		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
14.1 3‐5 days postpartum	1	168	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.30 [‐0.50, 1.10]
14.2 Short term up to 12 moths	1	165	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [‐1.30, 1.30]
14.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
14.4 Long term beyond 24 months	1	115	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	2.10 [‐0.48, 4.68]
15 Fat mass distribution	1		Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
15.1 3‐5 days postpartum	1	168	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.30 [‐1.30, 0.70]
15.2 Short term up to 12 months	1	165	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	‐0.5 [‐1.69, 0.69]
15.3 Medium term 12 to 24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
15.4 Long term beyond 24 months	0	0	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
16 Infant allergy	1		Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	Subtotals only
16.1 Short term up to 12 months	1	117	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.13 [0.02, 0.95]
16.2 Medium term 12‐24 months	1	117	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.52 [0.17, 1.59]
16.3 Long term beyond 24 months	0	0	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.0 [0.0, 0.0]
17 Postpartum depression	1	89	Mean Difference (IV, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.0 [‐1.72, 3.72]