| Title: | Cross-sectional analysis of plasma n-3 fatty acid levels and self-reported hearing difficulty in the UK Biobank Cohort |
| Journal: | Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids |
| Published: | 1 Apr 2024 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39504918/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2024.102654 |
Publication 13647
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Disabling hearing loss affects ∼430 million people globally. Fish consumption and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake were inversely associated with risk of hearing loss, but the association of plasma n-3 PUFAs and hearing loss is unclear.</p>
OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between plasma n-3 PUFA fractions (as % of total fatty acids), i.e., DHA % and Other n-3 PUFA % (defined as total n-3 PUFA minus DHA), with self-reported hearing difficulty in a population-based cohort in the UK.</p>
METHODS: Our study includes 175,177 UK Biobank participants (40-69y, 54 % women) with data on plasma n-3 PUFA and hearing status. Baseline plasma PUFA levels were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance, and self-reported hearing difficulty was obtained by questionnaire between 2007 and 2010. Logistic regression was used to estimate age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs), multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (MVORs) by adjusting for 14 demographic, behavioral, biomarker and health-related potential confounders, and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).</p>
RESULTS: Hearing difficulty was reported by 26.7 % of participants. Higher plasma n-3 PUFA levels were independently associated with lower odds of self-reported hearing difficulty. The prevalence of hearing difficulty rose across age strata (40-49y, 15.8 %; 50-59y, 24.9 % and 60+y, 34.4 %; p < 0.0001) and overall was higher in males (33.2 %) than females (21.3 %). Compared with those in the lowest quintile of plasma DHA % or Other n-3 PUFA %, the MVOR (95 % CI) for hearing difficulty was 0.88 (0.85, 0.92) in highest quintile of plasma DHA %, and 0.91 (0.87, 0.94) in the highest quintile of Other n-3 PUFA %. The associations with DHA % did not differ by age or sex (p-for-interaction 0.83 and 0.58, respectively). MVORs for DHA % and Other n-3 PUFA % were similar among the 44,486 individuals with data on noise exposure at work.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Higher plasma n-3 PUFA levels were independently associated with lower odds of hearing difficulty.</p>
14 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Cohort Studies
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Fatty Acids, Omega-3
- Female
- Hearing Loss
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Self Report
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
5 Authors
- Michael I McBurney
- Nathan L Tintle
- Jason Westra
- William S Harris
- Sharon E Curhan
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