Abstract
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a major and rapidly growing public health problem that causes disability, social isolation, and socioeconomic cost. Nutritional status is known to cause many aging-related problems, and recent studies have suggested that there are interaction effects between ARHL and dietary factors. We aimed to investigate the association between ARHL and dietary assessment using data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is a nationwide cross-sectional survey that included 5201 participants aged ≥50 years from 2010 to 2012. All participants had normal findings on otoscopic examination and symmetric hearing thresholds of <15 dB between both sides. Nutritional survey data included food consumption and nutrient intake using the 24 h recall method. Data were analyzed using multiple regression models with complex sampling adjusted for confounding factors, such as age, sex, educational level, and history of diabetes. Higher intake of seeds and nuts, fruits, seaweed, and vitamin A were positively associated with better hearing. Our findings suggest that dietary antioxidants or anti-inflammatory food may help reduce ARHL.
Highlights
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a common cause of hearing loss worldwide, affecting more than half of all adults by age 75 years [1,2,3]
Because ARHL is characterized by bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss and usually occurs after age 50 [5,6], we focused on this study only over 50 years of age and excluded participants who possibility had idiopathic sudden hearing loss, congenital hearing impairment, or conductive hearing loss
There was no significant difference in pure-tone average (PTA) at 4FA and high frequencies (HF) between participants exposed to occupational noise and the non-exposed group (P = 0.526)
Summary
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a common cause of hearing loss worldwide, affecting more than half of all adults by age 75 years [1,2,3]. With the rise of an aging global population, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2025 there will be more than 500 million individuals who will suffer significant impairment from ARHL [4]. The hallmark of ARHL is progressive bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss is mostly marked at higher frequencies, and it usually occurs after age 50 [5,6]. Previous epidemiologic studies have revealed that ARHL negatively affects participation in interpersonal relations, mental health, cognitive function, and quality of life [7,8,9,10,11]. ARHL constitutes an enormous burden from the public health and social perspectives, and it is important to avoid risk factors and identify protective factors to lessen the burden of ARHL on the global aging population [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
