beta-carotene and Hearing-Loss

Higher intake of certain vitamins may protect against cochlear damage from vascular compromise and oxidative stress, thereby reducing risk of acquired hearing loss, but data are limited.. We prospectively examined the relation between carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate intake and risk of self-reported hearing loss in women.. This prospective cohort study followed 65,521 women in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1991 to 2009. Baseline and updated information obtained from validated biennial questionnaires was used in Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine independent associations between nutrient intake and self-reported hearing loss.. After 1,084,598 person-years of follow-up, 12,789 cases of incident hearing loss were reported. After multivariable adjustment, we observed modest but statistically significant inverse associations between higher intake of β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin and risk of hearing loss. In comparison with women in the lowest quintile of intake, the multivariable-adjusted RR of hearing loss among women in the highest quintile was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.94; P-trend < 0.001) for β-carotene and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.96; P-trend < 0.001) for β-cryptoxanthin. In comparison with women with folate intake 200-399 μg/d, very low folate intake (<200 μg/d) was associated with higher risk (RR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.41), and higher intake tended to be associated with lower risk (P-trend = 0.04). No significant associations were observed for intakes of other carotenoids or vitamin A. Higher vitamin C intake was associated with higher risk; in comparison with women with intake <75 mg/d, the RR among women with vitamin C intake ≥1000 mg/d (mainly supplemental) was 1.22 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.42; P-trend = 0.02). There was no significant trend between intake of vitamin E intake and risk.. Higher intakes of β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and folate, whether total or from diet, are associated with lower risk of hearing loss, whereas higher vitamin C intake is associated with higher risk.

Topics: Adult; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Cohort Studies; Cryptoxanthins; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Female; Folic Acid; Follow-Up Studies; Food, Fortified; Hearing Loss; Humans; Nurses; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Self Report; United States; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; Young Adult

Topics: Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Ascorbic Acid; Auditory Diseases, Central; Auditory Pathways; beta Carotene; Cryptoxanthins; Diet; Female; Folic Acid; Hearing Loss; Humans; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Male; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Neurogenesis; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications

The protective effects of antioxidant vitamins on hearing loss are well established in animal studies but in few human studies. Recent animal studies suggest that magnesium intake along with antioxidants may act in synergy to prevent hearing loss.. We examined associations between intake of antioxidant vitamins (daily β-carotene and vitamins C and E) and magnesium and hearing thresholds and explored their joint effects in US adults.. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 2592 participants aged 20-69 y from NHANES 2001-2004. Hearing thresholds as pure tone averages (PTAs) at speech (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) and high frequencies (3, 4, and 6 kHz) were computed.. When examined individually, modeled as quartiles, and after adjustment for potential confounders, higher intakes of β-carotene, vitamin C, and magnesium were associated with lower (better) PTAs at both speech and high frequencies. High intakes of β-carotene or vitamin C combined with high magnesium compared with low intakes of both nutrients were significantly associated with lower (better) PTAs at high frequencies (-14.82%; 95% CI: -20.50% to -8.74% for β-carotene + magnesium and -10.72%; 95% CI: -16.57% to -4.45% for vitamin C + magnesium). The estimated joint effects were borderline significantly larger than the sums of the individual effects [high β-carotene/low magnesium (-4.98%) and low β-carotene/high magnesium (-0.80%), P-interaction = 0.08; high vitamin C/low magnesium (-1.33%) and low vitamin C/high magnesium (2.13%), P-interaction = 0.09].. Dietary intakes of antioxidants and magnesium are associated with lower risks of hearing loss.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Linear Models; Magnesium; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Risk Factors; Vitamin E; Young Adult

D-Galactose could give rise to free radical damage by disturbing the some maternal antioxidants. The oxidative stress induced by D-galactose is a potent inducer of apoptosis, which is accompanied by the activation of protein-splitting enzymes called caspases. Apoptosis is a crucial physiological determinant of embryonic and neonatal development, and play an essential role in the development of the inner ear structures. Recently the increasing of D-galactose exposure is due to high consumption of dairy foods or reduced galactose metabolism. An overwhelming presence of D-galactose is known to become highly ototoxicity to humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether supplementation of pregnant and lactational mothers with β-carotene could attenuate cochlear function damage and hair cells apoptosis induced by d-galactose in newborn rats. Pregnant rats were supplemented with D-galactose, or D-galactose and β-carotene from gestational day (GD) 7 until postnatal day (PND) 21. On PND 22, offspring were examined in the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) task, cochleae were then harvested for assessment of apoptosis by immunohistochemical stain for cysteine-aspartic acid proteases 3 (caspase-3) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. Maternal and offspring blood samples were then collected by direct cardiac puncture in heparin tubes, blood levels of D-galactose and β-carotene were measured, plasma was separated for malondialdehyde (MDA) analysis, erythrocytes were left for superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and glutathione (GSH). D-Galactose could significantly disturb the balance between maternal antioxidants and free radicals, and induce hearing loss in the offspring and cochlear hair cell apoptosis. In contrast, β-carotene supplementation, coincidentally with D-galactose exposure, ameliorated these changes. Our data offer a conceptual framework for designing clinical trials using a safe micronutrient, β-carotene, as a simple preventive strategy for D-galactose-induced ototoxicity.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Animals, Suckling; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; beta Carotene; Caspase 3; Caspase Inhibitors; Dietary Supplements; Female; Galactose; Glutathione; Glutathione Peroxidase; Hearing Loss; Immunohistochemistry; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Lactation; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Malondialdehyde; Maternal Exposure; Oxidative Stress; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Superoxide Dismutase

Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in the United States, afflicting more than 36 million people. Higher intakes of vitamins C, E, beta carotene, B12, and folate have been proposed to reduce the risk of hearing loss.. We prospectively evaluated the association between intake from foods and supplements of vitamins C, E, beta carotene, B12, and folate, and the incidence of hearing loss.. Health Professionals Follow-up Study.. A total of 26,273 men aged 40 to 74 years at baseline in 1986. Participants completed questionnaires about lifestyle and medical history every two years and diet every four years. Information on self-reported professionally diagnosed hearing loss and year of diagnosis was obtained from the 2004 questionnaire, and cases were defined as hearing loss diagnosed between 1986 and 2004. Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression was used to adjust for potential confounders.. There were 3559 cases of hearing loss identified. Overall, there was no significant association between vitamin intake and risk of hearing loss. Among men aged > or =60 years, total folate intake was associated with a reduced risk of hearing loss; the relative risk for men aged > or =60 years old in the highest quintile compared with the lowest quintile of folate intake was 0.79 (95% confidence interval 0.65-0.96).. Higher intake of vitamin C, E, beta carotene, or B12 does not reduce the risk of hearing loss in adult males. Men aged > or =60 years may benefit from higher folate intake to reduce the risk of developing hearing loss.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Boston; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Folic Acid; Hearing Loss; Humans; Incidence; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Smoking; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamin E; Vitamins