By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Hearing loss becomes more common as people get older. Close to 80% of people in the United States age 70 and older have hearing loss in at least one ear (1). In addition to difficulty communicating, according to the National Council on Aging, hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia, depression, and falls which can negatively affect quality of life.

A specific type of hearing loss, called age-related hearing loss, is the gradual loss of hearing that is associated with aging. Most commonly, it is due to a degeneration of inner ear structures. There are many possible explanations for this deterioration including reduced blood flow due to diabetes or hypertension, inflammation, oxidative stress, and exposure to excess noise (2).

Initially, hearing loss results in difficulty hearing higher pitches and the realization that sounds are quieter and spoken words are distorted. As time goes on, hearing becomes more difficult overall (3).

Nutrition may play a role in reducing the risk of age-relating hearing loss. For example, one study found that, in women, an overall healthier diet reduced risk of hearing loss (4). I wasn’t able to find any studies that reported on age-related hearing loss in vegans; however, healthy vegan diets are likely to include many factors that are associated with a reduced risk. For example, higher intakes of fiber and nutrients found in abundance in plant foods such as beta-carotene, folate, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium have been associated with a lower risk of hearing loss (5-8). In contrast, diets high in cholesterol have been associated with an increased risk of hearing loss (9). Diets with a high glycemic index and frequent use of sugary foods have also been associated with an increased risk of hearing loss (7,10).

Higher intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA were associated with a lower risk of hearing loss (11). Vegan omega-3 fatty acid supplements derived from microalgae are available.

What can you do to reduce your risk of age-related hearing loss? We don’t know for sure but eating an overall healthy vegan diet with generous amounts of whole plant foods has many health benefits and could possibly reduce your risk. Taking a vegan omega-3 fatty acid supplement may help but more research is needed. Despite your best efforts, you may develop age-related hearing loss since other factors such as genetics, noise exposure, lack of physical activity, and chronic diseases may affect your risk (12). Still, a healthy vegan diet offers benefits for human health, for the animals, and for the environment.

References

1. Goman AM, Lin FR. Prevalence of hearing loss by severity in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2016;106:1820-1822.
2. Chen HL, Tan CT, Wu CC, Liu TC. Effects of diet and lifestyle on audio-vestibular dysfunction in the elderly: A literature review. Nutrients. 2022;14:4720.
3. Chern A, Golub JS. Age-related hearing loss and dementia. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2019;33:285-290.
4. Curhan SG, Wang M, Eavey RD, et al. Adherence to healthful dietary patterns is associated with lower risk of hearing loss in women. J Nutr. 2018;148:944-951.
5. Curhan SG, Stankovic KM, Eavey RD, et al. Carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate and risk of self-reported hearing loss in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102:1167-1175.
6. Choi YH, Miller JM, Tucker KL, et al. Antioxidant vitamins and magnesium and the risk of hearing loss in the US general population. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99:148-155.
7. Gopinath B, Flood VM, McMahon CM, Burlutsky G, Brand-Miller J, Mitchell P. Dietary glycemic load is a predictor of age-related hearing loss in older adults. J Nutr. 2010;140:2207-2212.
8. Lampignano L, Quaranta N, Bortone I, et al. Dietary habits and nutrient intakes are associated to age-related central auditory processing disorder in a cohort from southern Italy. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021;13:629017.
9. Gopinath B, Flood VM, Teber E, et al. Dietary intake of cholesterol is positively associated and use of cholesterol-lowering medication is negatively associated with prevalent age-related hearing loss. J Nutr. 2011;141:1355-1361.
10. Sardone R, Lampignano L, Guerra V, et al. Relationship between inflammatory food consumption and age-related hearing loss in a prospective observational cohort: Results from the Salus in Apulia Study. Nutrients. 2020;12:426.
11. Curhan SG, Eavey RD, Wang M, et al. Fish and fatty acid consumption and the risk of hearing loss in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100:1371-1377.
12. Tang D, Tran Y, Dawes P, Gopinath B. A narrative review of lifestyle risk factors and the role of oxidative stress in age-related hearing loss. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023;12:878.

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