Fish Consumption Preserves Hearing

Fish Consumption Preserves Hearing

Fish Consumption Preserves Hearing

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.”

Source: http://www.worldhealth.net/news/fish-consumption-preserves-hearing/

Fish Consumption Preserves Hearing

Eating more fish, any fish, and consuming more long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can help in hearing preservation, says expert. – Filepic
“Consumption of any type of fish (tuna, dark fish, light fish, or shellfish) tended to be associated with lower risk,” says corresponding author Dr Sharon G. Curhan, MD, of BWH Channing Division of Network Medicine. “These findings suggest that diet may be important in the prevention of acquired hearing loss.”

In the massive cohort study, researchers tracked a total 65,215 women from 1991 to 2009.

Overall, participants self-reported 11,606 cases of incident hearing loss, and data analysis indicates that the women who consumed fish at least twice per week showed a 20% lower risk of hearing loss than the women who seldom ate fish.

Case-by-case observation revealed that higher consumption of each of the aforementioned fish types and increased intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the women’s diets showed benefits for hearing preservation.

“Acquired hearing loss is a highly prevalent and often disabling chronic health condition,” says Dr Curhan. “Although a decline in hearing is often considered an inevitable aspect of ageing, the identification of several potentially modifiable risk factors has provided new insight into possibilities for prevention or delay of acquired hearing loss.”