Folic Acid May Slow Age-Related Hearing Loss

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"I think that their conclusion that folic acid is actually slowing down the progression of age-related hearing loss is a stretch," Sweetow said. "I would hate to say to patients, 'You take folic acid and the progression of your hearing loss is going to slow down.'"

Another expert questioned the significance of the finding.

"The effect is on low frequency hearing, but most older folks have a problem with high frequency hearing," said Dr. Hinrich Staecker, an associate professor in the department of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Staecker also noted that the study authors didn't look at the ability of the participants to hear speech clearly. "It's easier to make stuff louder, but it's not easy to make stuff clearer," he said.

Dr. Peter M. Rabinowitz, an associate professor of medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine, said, "The investigators' finding that low-frequency, but not high frequency, hearing loss was reduced in the folate supplementation group is somewhat surprising, since age-related hearing loss usually affects the higher frequencies of hearing first and to a greater degree."

Clearly, much is not known about nutrition and hearing, Rabinowitz said. For example, other studies have suggested that genetic differences in the metabolism of folate may affect how someone responds to supplementation, including the effect of folate on hearing loss, he said.

"While neither this study nor the current state of medical knowledge provide adequate evidence for recommending particular supplements to prevent hearing loss, this study provides additional evidence of the importance of adequate nutrition in older adults, as well as the potential for future discoveries of how to slow the aging process of the hearing system," Rabinowitz said.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration can tell you more about age-related hearing loss.