Hows that again? You may need more folate and fish to help prevent hearing loss? Those are the latest findings of the Blue Mountains Hearing Study, which suggest ways nutrition might protect against the most common sensory disorder in the United States, affecting more than 36 million Americans.The research on folate, published in the Journal of Nutrition, adds to a small but growing body of evidence linking low blood levels of B vitamins, notably folate, to risk of age-related hearing loss. Bamini Gopinath, PhD, of the University of Sydney, and colleagues compared blood levels of folate, vitamin B12 and the amino acid homocysteine to incidence of hearing loss among 2,956 people ages 50 and up.Those with the lowest levels of folate were 39% more likely to suffer hearing loss. People with the most homocysteine- an amino acid, also linked to heart disease and dementia, thats countered by B vitamins-were at 64% greater risk. No association was seen between B12 and hearing loss.Several previous studies have suggested that folate (or its synthetic form, folic acid, added to fortified foods) might help prevent or postpone hearing loss. In 2007, Dutch researchers reported that folicacid supplements delayed low-frequency hearing loss related to aging in a group of 728 men and women over 50. In 2009, findings presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation annual meeting showed that men over age 60 with high folate intake from foods and supplements were 20% less likely to develop hearing loss.Gopinath and colleagues speculated that homocysteine, which folate has been shown to lower in the body, may be the culprit: Elevated homocysteine concentrations… may adversely affect blood flow to the cochlea [the spiral cavity of the inner ear], leading to age-related hearing loss.The scientists cautioned that large prospective studies will be required in the future to assess these associations. Given the other positive effects of folate, however, and the healthy foods in which its found (see box), it cant hurt to make sure youre getting enough.
The Daily Value for folate is 400 micrograms. Foods containing at least 15% of the DV of folate include:
|
In a second intriguing finding from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study, researchers also reported that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and fish was associated with reduced risk of age-related hearing loss. Among the same group of participants, those who consumed the most total omega- 3s as well as those with the highest intake of the complex omega-3s found in fish were at lower risk of hearing loss.People who ate fish at least twice a week were 42% less likely to suffer hearing loss over five years than those eating fish less than once a week. According to results published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, even eating fish just one to two times a week was associated with reduced risk of hearing loss.TO LEARN MORE: Journal of Nutrition, August 2010; abstract at jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/ abstract/140/8/1469. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2010; abstract at www.ajcn.org/ cgi/content/abstract/92/2/416