Consumption of omega-3

fatty acids and fish and risk

of age-related hearing loss

American journal of Clinical

Nutrition 2010;92:416-21

Bamini Gopinath, Victoria M Flood,

Elena Rochtchina, Catherine M
McMahon and Paul Mitchell
Background
 Age-related hearing loss
(Presbycusis) is a common health HOW does Pres bycu sis develop?...
problem in the older subpopulation.

 WHY was the study done?...

1. In older adults, it is 2nd to Arthritis
as a handicapping situation.
2. It implies a significant burden for
sufferers and communicators.
3. The medical costs are immense.
4. The no. of older adults is expected
to more than double by 2030;
hence, identifying the risk factors
and development of preventive
strategies is essential to reduce the
effect and burden of presbycusis.
 HYPOTHESIS
 Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3
PUFAs) have shown to be
protective against CVDs.
 Fish contain n-3 PUFAs
(particularly EPA & DHA)
which are again shown to be
cardio protective.
 Hence, it is plausible that the
role of n-3 PUFAs and fish in
vascular function (especially
to the cochlea of the ear)
may also be important for
the auditory system.
OBJECTIVES
 To establish whether cross-
sectional and longitudinal
associations exist between
dietary intakes of PUFAs and
Presbycusis.
 To determine whether
consumption of a diet high in
fish protects against the
development of HL.
HL definition and Sample design

 Presbycusis was defined as any level of HL as

PTA 0.5 - 4 KHz > 25dB HL in the better of the
two ears.
 Sample design :- Non-experimental
Prospective or longitudinal design.
 Sampling and methodology
 Non-Random Purposive Sampling
 Inclusion Criteria : ≥ 50 yrs.

3654 1992

1320 5 yrs follow up

10 yrs follow-up
2334 + 1174 1997

1556

1952 2002
Tools

1.Semi-quantitative food-
frequency questionnaire.

2.Standard TDH - 39
earphones

3. Madsen OB 822
audiometers
Statistical analysis.

1. SAS statistical software (version 9.1;SAS

Institute, Cary ,NC)
2. T-test
3. Chi-square test
4. Logistic regression

Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05

Results

 There was in inverse association between

total n-3 PUFA intake and prevalent hearing
loss.
 Participants who had ≥2 servings of fish/
week compared with participants who had
<1 serving of fish/week had a significantly
reduced risk (42%)of developing Presbycusis.
(Serving size of fish being 145g/serving as
per Australian RDA).
Conclusion

 There was an inverse association between

high intake of long chain n-3 PUFAs and
regular weekly consumption of fish and
hearing loss.
 Dietary intervention with n-3 PUFAs could
prevent or delay the development of age
related hearing loss.
 Bibliography

1. Gopinath,B.,Flood,V.,Rochtchina,E.,Mc mohan,C.,Mitchell,P.(2010) Consumption of

omega-3 fatty acids and fish and risk of age-related hearing loss, American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 92:416-21
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 Thank you…
Presented by :-

141 – Akanksha Maheshwari

143 – Riddhi Maniar
144 – Smruti Modi
145 – Shazia Motiwala
146 – Radhika Nair
147 – Karishma Niwate
148 – Rekha Patel
149 – Pooja Patel
150 – Bushra Patel