Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Plasma very long-chain N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and age-related hearing loss in older adults

  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Age-related hearing loss is a common social and health problem in the older adult population. Up until now, very little scientific attention has been given to the potential role of fatty acids in agerelated hearing loss. In this study we investigated whether plasma very long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are associated with age-related hearing loss over three years.

Design

Cross-sectional and 3-year longitudinal analyses.

Setting

Wageningen, the Netherlands.

Participants

720 men and postmenopausal women (50–70 years of age) without middle ear dysfunction or unilateral hearing loss.

Measurements

Fatty acid proportions were measured in plasma cholesteryl esters. Hearing thresholds (in decibels, dB) at baseline and after three years were measured with pure-tone audiometry. Hearing loss was calculated as the increase in mean hearing thresholds in the low (0.5-kHz, 1-kHz, and 2-kHz) and high (4-kHz, 6-kHz, and 8-kHz) frequencies over three years.

Results

Subjects in the highest quartile of plasma very long-chain n-3 PUFA had less hearing loss in the low frequencies over three years than subjects in the lowest quartile (p<0.01, ANCOVA, difference in mean adjusted hearing thresholds= −1.2 dB). There were no significant differences between the quartiles of plasma very long-chain n-3 PUFA in hearing loss in the high frequencies (p=0.49, ANCOVA). These associations are adjusted for baseline mean hearing thresholds, age, sex, level of education and alcohol consumption.

Conclusion

This study is the first to show an inverse association between plasma very long-chain n-3 PUFAs and age-related hearing loss. These results are encouraging, but require confirmation from future studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gates GA, Mills JH. Presbycusis. Lancet 2005;366:1111–1120.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Johnson MA, DeChicchis AR, Willott JF, Shea-Miller KJ, Nozza RJ. Hearing loss and nutrition in older adults. In: Bales CW, Ritchie CS, eds. Handbook of clinical nutrition in aging. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2004:291–307.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gates GA, Cobb JL, D’Agostino RB, Wolf PA. The relation of hearing in the elderly to the presence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1993;119:156–161.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rubinstein M, Hildesheimer M, Zohar S, Chilarovitz T. Chronic cardiovascular pathology and hearing loss in the aged. Gerontology 1977;23:4–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Torre P, 3rd, Cruickshanks KJ, Klein BE, Klein R, Nondahl DM. The association between cardiovascular disease and cochlear function in older adults. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2005;48:473–481.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Cruickshanks KJ, Nondahl DM, Klein R, Klein BEK. Sex, cardiovascular disease, and hearing loss: the epidemiology of hearing loss study. Am J Epidemiol 1996;143:S65.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Calder PC. n-3 Fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: evidence explained and mechanisms explored. Clin Sci (Lond) 2004;107:1–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rosen S, Olin P, Rosen HV. Dietary prevention of hearing loss. Acta Otolaryngol 1970;70:242–247.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Durga J, Verhoef P, Anteunis LJ, Schouten E, Kok FJ. Effects of folic acid supplementation on hearing in older adults: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2007;146:1–9.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Glatz JF, Soffers AE, Katan MB. Fatty acid composition of serum cholesteryl esters and erythrocyte membranes as indicators of linoleic acid intake in man. Am J Clin Nutr 1989;49:269–276.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Washburn RA, Smith KW, Jette AM, Janney CA. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE): development and evaluation. J Clin Epidemiol 1993;46:153–162.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ma J, Folsom AR, Shahar E, Eckfeldt JH. Plasma fatty acid composition as an indicator of habitual dietary fat intake in middle-aged adults. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;62:564–571.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Katan MB, Deslypere JP, van Birgelen AP, Penders M, Zegwaard M. Kinetics of the incorporation of dietary fatty acids into serum cholesteryl esters, erythrocyte membranes, and adipose tissue: an 18-month controlled study. J Lipid Res 1997;38:2012–2022.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Tange RA. Vascular inner ear partition: a concept for some forms of sensorineural hearing loss and vertigo. ORL 1998;60:78–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Johnsson L-G, Hawkins JE. Vascular changes in the human inner ear associated with aging. Ann Otol 1972;81:364–376.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Warensjo E, Sundstrom J, Lind L, Vessby B. Factor analysis of fatty acids in serum lipids as a measure of dietary fat quality in relation to the metabolic syndrome in men. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:442–448.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Carla Dullemeijer, P. Verhoef, I. A. Brouwer, F. J. Kok & J. Durga

  2. Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Carla Dullemeijer, P. Verhoef, I. A. Brouwer, R. -J. M. Brummer & J. Durga

  3. Institute of Health Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    I. A. Brouwer

  4. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Carla Dullemeijer

Authors
  1. Carla Dullemeijer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Verhoef
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I. A. Brouwer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. J. Kok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. -J. M. Brummer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. Durga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carla Dullemeijer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dullemeijer, C., Verhoef, P., Brouwer, I.A. et al. Plasma very long-chain N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and age-related hearing loss in older adults. J Nutr Health Aging 14, 347–351 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0078-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0078-x

Key words

Search

Navigation