Health & Medicine

Women Who Eat Fish May be at a Lower Risk of Hearing Loss

Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Sep 12, 2014 07:47 AM EDT

Do you like fish? You may want to eat more of it, according to a new study. Scientists have found that two or more servings of fish per week was associated with a lower risk of hearing loss in women.

Previous evidence has suggested that a higher intake of fish and omega-3 fatty acids may be associated with a lower risk of hearing loss. Until now, though, prospective information has been limited. That's why scientists decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon.

"Acquired hearing loss is a highly prevalent and often disabling chronic health condition," said Sharon Curhan, the lead researcher, in a news release. "Although a decline in hearing is often considered an inevitable aspect of aging, the identification of several potentially modifiable risk factors has provided new insight into possibilities for prevention or delay of acquired hearing loss."

In order to look at the association between fish consumption and hearing loss, the researchers examined data from the Nurses' Health Study II, a prospective cohort study. In this study, a total of 65,215 women were followed from 1991 to 2009. In the end, the researchers found that in comparison to women who rarely consumed fish, women who consumed two or more servings of fish per week had a 20 percent lower risk of hearing loss. Which examined individually, higher consumption of each specific fish type was inversely associated with risk. Higher intake of omega-3 was also inversely associated with risk of hearing loss.

The findings reveal that consuming any type of fish, including tuna, dark fish, light fish or shellfish, is associated with lower risk of hearing loss. This reveals that eating fish may be an important part of avoiding acquired hearing loss in women. In addition, it shows preventative measures that can be taken before hearing loss becomes an issue.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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