COULD A B VITAMIN BE THE KEY TO CLEAR HEARING?

by VRP Staff

Maybe your family complains that the TV is up too loud… or you just can’t seem to follow a conversation without asking your friends to speak up. Whatever the signs, if you find that your hearing just isn’t what it used to be, you’re hardly alone—according to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 36 million American adults can attest to lackluster hearing.

Affecting nearly 17 percent of the older population, there’s no question that suboptimal hearing is a common consequence of aging… but new research is showing that low levels of one B vitamin might be one of the culprits at work.

Researchers assessed the serum folic acid and B12 levels of a group of healthy subjects over the age of 60, as well as their hearing sensitivity with respect to both speech and high frequencies. Results revealed a very clear link between insufficient folic acid levels and hearing concerns: Subjects with average sensitivity to speech and high frequency tones demonstrated mean folic acid levels of 412.3 nmol/L and 426.3 nmol/L respectively—while those subjects with reduced hearing sensitivity to speech and high frequency showed much lower serum levels of this important vitamin, coming in at an average of just 279.1 nmol/L and 279.14 nmol/L, respectively.1 Tests also revealed a positive association between hearing sensitivity and vitamin B12 levels—but the link was not statistically significant.

According to the study authors, elderly subjects with lower serum folic acid levels appear to have a significantly higher chance of experiencing hearing concerns—suggesting that further clinical study on how folic acid supplementation can support normal hearing is in order.

But there’s no reason to wait to start building up your own stores of this critical B vitamin, which is essential for maintaining a healthy mood, a sharp memory, and a healthy heart, too. And while filling up on folate-rich foods—like lentils, leafy greens and orange juice—is one way to keep your body’s stores sufficient, daily intake of a high-quality folate supplement (like VRP’s Active Folate) can ensure that you’re getting all the benefits this nutrient has to offer.

Reference:

1. Lasisi AO, Fehintola FA, Yusuf OB. Age-related hearing loss, vitamin B12, and folate in the elderly. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010 Dec;143(6):826-30.