Benefits seen for hearing difficulty, issues with background noise, and use of hearing aids<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, July 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Higher blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may protect against hearing difficulty in middle-aged adults, according to a study presented during NUTRITION 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, held from July 22 to 25 in Boston.<\/p>\n
Michael I. McBurney, Ph.D., from the University of Guelph and Tufts University\/Fatty Acid Research Institute in Canada, and colleagues examined associations between plasma omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., DHA) and self-reported hearing loss. The analysis included more than 100,000 participants (aged 40 to 69 years) in the U.K. Biobank.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that 38 percent of respondents reported difficulty hearing, with 26 percent reporting background noise hearing problems. Only 5 percent of respondents reported using hearing aids. In adjusted models, the investigators found that people with the highest DHA levels had a lower risk for hearing loss versus those with the lowest levels, including for hearing difficulty (highest versus lowest quintile: odds ratio, 0.89), difficulty hearing with background noise (odds ratio, 0.92), and hearing aid use (odds ratio, 0.80). <\/p>\n
“Higher DHA levels have previously been found to be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, cognitive impairment, and death,” McBurney said in a statement. “Our study extends these findings to suggest a role for DHA in maintaining auditory function and helping reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss.”<\/p>\n
Abstract<\/a><\/p>\n