THURSDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly individuals with age-related hearing loss have decreased serum folate levels, according to a study published in the December issue of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
Akeem Olawale Lasisi, of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and colleagues assessed the hearing of 126 apparently healthy people aged 60 to 98 with age-related hearing loss. Serum folate and cobalamin levels were determined.
The researchers found that low serum folate and cyanocobalamin levels were significantly related to hearing loss in high frequencies. However, after adjusting for age, they found that only the serum folate relationship was significant.
"These findings suggest that the low levels of these nutritional markers, particularly folate, may be significant for the development of hearing loss among these elderly subjects," the authors write.
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