The Role of Nutrition in Hearing Loss

Background & Objectives: Hearing loss is associated with enormous public health burdens and has been recently ranked as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Dietary quality may alter risk for hearing loss as well as other chronic health conditions. Since dietary changes can at least delay, or even prevent the development of hearing loss, the link between food intake and hearing changes is of practical interest. Hence, this review aimed to explore the role of nutrition in hearing loss.Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted by searching the Key words including nutrition, hearing health, and hearing loss from ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۲۲ and using PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Scopus databases.Results: It is demonstrated that greater consumption of fruit and vegetables, and of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-۳), prevent the age-related hearing loss. Moreover, antioxidants such as vitamins may play a significant role in preventing and amending hearing loss due to its inhibitory effect on the formation of free radicals, a key mechanism for hearing loss. Based on evidence, the deficit of vitamin B۱۲ and folic acid (B۹) is associated with an increase in serum homocysteine concentrations, which have a detrimental effect on blood flow at the inner ear. Besides, diets rich in cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids are harmful to hearing. Pediatric research suggested that micronutrient status and vitamin deficiency (such as vitamin A or zinc) may cause more frequent inflammation in the middle ear, leading to increased frequency of otitis media, which increases the risk of hearing loss in children.Conclusions: There is a significant relationship between various nutritional factors and healthy hearing. So, it is necessary to provide appropriate guidelines for maintaining a proper nutritional status to prevent some of the causes of hearing loss.

کلیدواژه ها:

nutrition ، hearing health ، and hearing loss