Hearing
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Addressing hearing loss in older adults could potentially delay or prevent up to 32% of dementia cases. jamanetwork.com
Most older adults experience some degree of hearing loss, yet few recognize that it may increase their risk of cognitive decline. A recent study found that nearly one-third of dementia cases over an eight-year period might be linked to hearing loss measured with a hearing test.
Researchers monitored nearly 3,000 older adults, aged 66 to 90, for up to eight years. All participants had normal cognition at the beginning and underwent a hearing test and a self-assessment of their hearing. The researchers compared the number of new dementia cases over time with each participant’s hearing status at the start of the study.
They found that up to 32% of dementia cases could be attributed to hearing loss. This link held true even for those with mild hearing loss. However, individuals who only reported hearing issues without a hearing test did not exhibit the same increased risk—likely because self-reporting often underestimates actual hearing loss. The proportion of dementia cases associated with hearing loss was highest among individuals aged 75 and older, women, and white participants.
These findings suggest that treating hearing loss, particularly when identified through a proper hearing test, could delay or even help prevent dementia in many older adults. A key driver of noise-induced hearing loss is inflammation, which is also linked with dementia. Learn more in Aliquot #90: Inflammation and the Early Seeds of Dementia — and Its Prevention
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Hearing aids reduce the risk of early death in older adults with hearing loss by 24 percent. www.thelancet.com
Hearing loss is a common feature of aging and a known risk factor for poor quality of life, depression, dementia, and early death. Roughly two-thirds of adults over 70 have some degree of hearing loss, but few seek out treatment. A recent study found that hearing aids reduce the risk of premature death in older adults with hearing loss by 24 percent.
The study involved more than 9,800 adults (average age, 48 years) enrolled in the NHANES studies. Participants underwent hearing tests and completed questionnaires about their hearing aid use over a ten-year period.
The tests and questionnaires revealed that nearly 15 percent of the participants had some hearing loss. However, fewer than 13 percent of those with hearing loss regularly used hearing aids. Those with hearing loss who did wear hearing aids were 24 percent less likely to die prematurely than those who didn’t, even after taking demographics, hearing levels, and medical history into account.
These findings suggest hearing aids reduce the risk of premature death in older adults with hearing loss. Other evidence demonstrates that hearing aids benefit older adults at high risk for cognitive decline. Interestingly, another study found that the risk of developing mild hearing loss was nearly 30 percent lower among people who adhered to healthy dietary patterns such as the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet, suggesting that diet may play a role in preventing mild hearing loss.
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Hearing aids show promise in reducing dementia risk by half in high-risk older adults, new study reveals. www.cnn.com
Older adults with hearing loss are more likely to experience cognitive decline and an increased risk of developing dementia. However, a new study suggests that hearing aids can moderate this risk. Older adults with hearing loss who wore hearing aids were nearly half as likely to develop dementia as those who didn’t.
Researchers recruited nearly 1,000 older adults aged 70 to 84 with untreated hearing loss. About half of the participants received hearing aids, and the other half received health education counseling. The researchers assessed the participants' cognitive function every six months for three years.
They found no difference in cognitive decline between the two groups when considering the entire cohort. However, when they looked at specific subgroups, they found that the effect of hearing aids on cognitive change varied according to the participants' risk profiles. Specifically, hearing aids appeared to reduce cognitive change in older adults with a higher risk of decline but not in those with a lower risk.
These findings suggest that hearing aids benefit older adults with a higher risk of cognitive decline. Approximately two-thirds of all adults over 70 have some degree of hearing loss. Evidence suggests that adhering to healthy dietary patterns such as the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of mild hearing loss by nearly 30 percent, highlighting potential links between diet, dementia, and hearing loss. Learn more about dietary strategies to reduce the risk of dementia in this episode featuring Dr. Dale Bredesen.
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Estradiol may heighten the sensitivity of sound-processing neurons and activate genes that instruct the brain to lay down memories of sounds. (2009) www.sciencedaily.com
From the article:
Previous studies have hinted at a connection between estrogen and hearing in women who have low estrogen, such as often occurs after menopause, says Pinaud. No one understood, however, that estrogen was playing such a direct role in determining auditory functions in the brain, he says. “Now it is clear that estrogen is a key molecule carrying brain signals, and that the right balance of hormone levels in men and women is important for reasons beyond its role as a sex hormone,” says Pinaud.
Pinaud, along with Liisa Tremere, a research assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, and Jin Jeong, a postdoctoral fellow in Pinaud’s laboratory, demonstrated that increasing estrogen levels in brain regions that process auditory information caused heightened sensitivity of sound-processing neurons, which encoded more complex and subtle features of the sound stimulus. Perhaps more surprising, says Pinaud, is that by blocking either the actions of estrogen directly, or preventing brain cells from producing estrogen within auditory centers, the signaling that is necessary for the brain to process sounds essentially shuts down. Pinaud’s team also shows that estrogen is required to activate genes that instruct the brain to lay down memories of those sounds.
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Mild hearing loss – when hearing is still considered normal – is linked to cognitive decline. www.sciencedaily.com
Approximately two-thirds of all adults over the age of 70 have some degree of hearing loss. Few people seek out treatment, however. A recent study found that even mild hearing loss – when hearing is still considered normal by most people – is linked to cognitive decline.
The participants in the cross-sectional study, which included more than 6,000 men and women who were 50 years or older (average age, 59 years) and living in the United States, were part of the Hispanic Community Health Study and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES). Each of the participants completed a series of tests to gauge neurocognitive function. They also underwent audiometry tests to assess their hearing.
The association between cognitive decline and hearing loss first appears with mild hearing loss and progresses in a dose-dependent manner as hearing worsens. The authors of the study used statistical models to identify associations between hearing loss and cognitive decline. They found that for every 10 dB decrease in hearing, cognitive function decreased as well, especially among those who were in the earliest stage of hearing loss.
Interestingly, a related study found that the risk of developing mild hearing loss was nearly 30 percent lower among people who adhered to healthy dietary patterns such as the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet, suggesting that diet may play a role in preventing mild hearing loss.