Intake of specific nutrients and foods and hearing level measured 13 years later

Only a few studies have investigated the impact of nutrients and food groups on hearing level (HL) with a population-based approach. We examined the 13-year association between intake of specific nutrients and food groups and HL in a sample of French adults. A total of 1823 subjects, aged 45-60 years at baseline, participating in the Supplementation with Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals 2 cohort were selected. Nutrient and food intake was estimated at baseline among participants who had completed at least six 24 h dietary records. HL was assessed 13 years after baseline and was defined as the pure-tone air conduction of the worse ear at the following thresholds: 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz. The relationship between quartiles of energy-adjusted nutrient and food intake and HL was assessed by multivariate linear regression analyses, in men and women separately. Intakes of retinol (P-trend = 0.058) and vitamin B-12 (P-trend=0.068) tended to be associated with better HL in women. Intakes of meat as a whole (P-trend=0.030), red meat (P-trend=0.014) and organ meat (P-trend=0.017) were associated with better HL in women. Higher intake of seafood as a whole (P-trend=0.07) and of shellfish (P-trend=0.097) tended to be associated with better HL in men. Consumption of meat is therefore associated with a better HL in women. Further research is required to better elucidate the mechanisms behind the associations between diet and hearing.