If you only learn one thing about what goes into a young athlete’s brain, make it omega-3.
DHA is a structural fat. A large share of the brain is literally built from it, it sits in the membranes of brain cells and shapes how well those cells send signals. The body cannot make enough on its own, so it has to come from diet. And most kids’ diets do not deliver much, unless they are eating oily fish a few times a week, which few are.
What the research shows
Of all ten ingredients in SYNAPS, DHA has the strongest human evidence.
- In 176 healthy adults aged 18 to 45, six months of DHA supported memory and improved mental reaction time versus placebo (Stonehouse et al., 2013, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
- A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis pooling 58 trials found omega-3 intake associated with better attention, memory, visuospatial function and overall cognition (Shahinfar et al., Scientific Reports).
- In children, the DOLAB trial gave 362 healthy 7-to-9-year-olds algae-sourced DHA and saw gains in the children who started as the weakest readers (Richardson et al., 2012, PLoS ONE).
Note the honesty in that last one: the effect showed up in the children who needed it most, not uniformly across every child. That is how nutrition usually works, and we would rather tell you that than imply a gummy turns every kid into a scholar.
Why algae, not fish
Our DHA is sourced from algae, not fish oil. Three reasons:
- It’s where fish get it in the first place. Fish are oily because they eat algae. We just go to the source.
- Cleaner. Algae is grown in controlled conditions, which sidesteps the ocean-contaminant and heavy-metal questions that hang over some fish oils.
- No fishy burps, and it’s vegan-friendly. Small things, but they decide whether a kid actually takes it on game day.
The DOLAB children’s trial used algae-sourced DHA specifically, so the source in our formula is the source that has been studied in kids.
Where it fits in the day
SYNAPS is taken on training and game days, four gummies before and four after. DHA is a build-over-time nutrient, not a pre-game jolt, so the point of the ritual is consistency across a season, the same way you would not expect one gym session to build strength.
SYNAPS is currently the subject of a university clinical trial at Macquarie University.
SYNAPS supports brain health for sport. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.