Fish Consumption Preserves Hearing

An often disabling chronic health condition, acquired hearing loss may be preventable.  Sharon G. Curhan, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 65,215 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II. After 1,038,093 person-years of follow-up, 11,606 cases of incident hearing loss were reported. As compared to women who rarely consumed fish, women who consumed two or more servings of fish per week had a 20% lower risk of hearing loss. When examined individually, higher consumption of each specific fish type was inversely associated with risk. Higher intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was also inversely associated with risk of hearing loss.  The study authors conclude that: “Regular fish consumption and higher intake of long-chain omega-3 [polyunsaturated fatty acids] are associated with lower risk of hearing loss in women.”