Configuring Mongoose population to avoid stale cache results

When using Mongoose’s .populate() method, the referenced document is fetched in a separate query after the parent document is retrieved. Because this two‑step process is not atomic, the populated data can represent a stale snapshot if the referenced document is modified between the two queries.

The goal is to ensure that every populate operation returns the most recent version of the referenced data without resorting to manual re‑queries after each call.

What configuration or built‑in option can be used to force Mongoose to bypass any internal cache and always issue a fresh lookup for the populated path? Is it possible to wrap the primary find and subsequent populate in a MongoDB session or transaction to make the two steps atomic? If neither approach is viable, what are the recommended patterns or trade‑offs for minimizing stale data while keeping query overhead acceptable?