Page 11 - Today's Dietitian (February 2020)

Healthful Diet

Linked to Lower Risk

of Hearing Loss

Investigators from Brigham and Wom-
en’s Hospital have found that eating a
healthful diet may reduce the risk of
acquired hearing loss. Using longitudi-
nal data collected in the Nurses’ Health
Study II Conservation of Hearing Study
(CHEARS), researchers examined three-
year changes in hearing sensitivities and
found that women whose eating patterns between diet and hearing loss by resembled the healthful dietary patterns.
more closely adhered to commonly rec- capturing overall dietary patterns and In the higher frequencies, the odds were
ommended healthful dietary patterns, objectively measuring longitudinal up to 25% lower.
such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop changes in hearing sensitivities. “The association between diet and
Hypertension (DASH) diet, the Alter- To do so, the researchers estab- hearing sensitivity decline encompassed
nate Mediterranean diet, and the Alter- lished 19 geographically diverse test- frequencies that are critical for speech
nate Healthy Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), ing sites across the United States and understanding,” Curhan says. “We were
had a substantially lower risk of decline trained teams of licensed audiologists to surprised that so many women demon-
in hearing sensitivity. The team’s findings follow standardized CHEARS methods. strated hearing decline over such a rel-
are published in the American Journal of The audiologists measured changes in atively short period of time. The mean
Epidemiology. pure-tone hearing thresholds, the lowest age of the women in our study was 59
“A common perception is that hearing volume that a pitch can be detected by years; most of our participants were in
loss is an inevitable part of the aging pro- the participant in a given ear, over the their 50s and early 60s. This is a younger
cess. However, our research focuses on course of three years. An audiologist age than when many people think about
identifying potentially modifiable risk fac- presented tones of different frequencies having their hearing checked. After only
tors—that is, things that we can change (0.5, 1, and 2 kHz as low frequencies; three years, 19% had hearing loss in the
in our diet and lifestyle to prevent hear- 3 kHz and 4 kHz as mid-frequencies; and low frequencies, 38% had hearing loss
ing loss or delay its progression,” says 6 kHz and 8 kHz as higher frequencies) in the mid-frequencies, and almost half
lead author Sharon Curhan, MD, a physi- at variable “loudness” levels, and partici- had hearing loss in the higher frequen-
cian and epidemiologist in the Brigham’s pants were asked to indicate when they cies. Despite this considerable worsening
Channing Division of Network Medicine. could just barely hear the tone. in their hearing sensitivities, hearing loss
“The benefits of adherence to healthful Using more than 20 years of dietary among many of these participants would
dietary patterns have been associated intake information that was collected not typically be detected or addressed.”
with numerous positive health outcomes, every four years beginning in 1991, the The study included female health
and eating a healthy diet may also help researchers investigated how closely care professionals, which enhanced
reduce the risk of hearing loss.” participants’ long-term diets resembled the validity of the health information
Previous studies have suggested that some well-established and currently rec- collected and reduced the variability
higher intake of specific nutrients and ommended dietary patterns, such as the in educational achievement and
certain foods, such as the carotenoids DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, and socioeconomic status, but the study
beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin AHEI-2010. Greater adherence to these population was limited to predominantly
(found in squash, carrots, oranges, dietary patterns has been associated middle-aged, non-Hispanic white women.
and other fruits and vegetables), folate with several important health outcomes, The authors note that further research in
(found in legumes, leafy greens, and including lower risk of heart disease, additional populations is warranted. The
other foods), and long-chain omega-3 hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and death team hopes to continue to longitudinally
fatty acids (found in seafood and as well as healthy aging. follow the participants in this study with
fish), were associated with lower risk The team found that the likelihood of repeated hearing tests over time and is
of self-reported hearing loss. These a decline in mid-frequency hearing sen- investigating ways to collect research-
findings revealed that dietary intake sitivities was almost 30% lower among quality information on tens of thousands
could influence the risk of developing those whose diets most closely resem- of participants for future studies across
hearing loss, but investigators sought bled these healthful dietary patterns, diverse populations.
to further understand the connection compared with women whose diets least SOURCE: BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

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