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Lee Swanson Research Update
Omega-3 May Protect Against Hearing Loss
June 2010
Increased intakes of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and the fish that provide them, may reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss, says a new study from the University of Sydney.
At least two servings of fish per week was associated with a 42% reduction in the risk of hearing loss in over 50-year-olds, compared with people who average less than one serving per week, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Similar reductions were observed with intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, with increasing intakes associated with 14% reductions in the risk of age-related hearing loss (presbycusis).
"Dietary intervention with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could prevent or delay the development of age-related hearing loss," wrote the researchers, led by Paul Mitchell.
Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in the United States, affecting more than 36 million people.
Mitchell and his co-workers analyzed data from 2,956 participants of the Blue Mountains Hearing Study. Dietary intakes of fish, and the omega-3s they contain, were recorded using food-frequency questionnaires.
Results showed an inverse association between total and long-chain omega-3 intakes and hearing loss, while increasing fish intakes also indicated a reduction in the risk of presbycusis, said the researchers.
Other micronutrients have been linked to reducing the risk of age-related hearing loss. In 2007 scientists from Wageningen University reported that folic acid supplements delayed age-related hearing loss in the low frequency region in a study of 728 men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 (Annals of Internal Medicine 146:1-9, 2007).
Another study, published earlier this year, indicated a role for beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, and the mineral magnesium in preventing both temporary and permanent hearing loss in guinea pigs and mice. The animal study was presented at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology’s annual conference in Baltimore in February 2009.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print.
