Small Amounts Of Fish Help Prevent Chronic Hearing Loss

Previous studies have boasted the benefits of eating fish. Not only is the food high in protein and amino acids, but many can help you feel full longer and help with weight loss if combined in the right diet.

Now, recent findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) show that women who consume a lot of fish and fatty acids are less likely to suffer from hearing loss compared to those who don't.

"Consumption of any type of fish (tuna, dark fish, light fish, or shellfish) tended to be associated with lower risk," said lead study author Dr. Sharon G. Curhan, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Channing Division of Network Medicine, in a news release. "These findings suggest that diet may be important in the prevention of acquired hearing loss."

For the study, researchers used data from the Nurses' Health Study II, which involved 65,215 women who were monitored between 1991 to 2009. They found that women who ate two or more servings of fish per week were 20 percent less likely to suffer hearing loss than those who did not consume as much fish. However those who consumed more fish did not see the health benefits, either.

"Acquired hearing loss is a highly prevalent and often disabling chronic health condition," the researchers concluded. "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."