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In This Issue:
Sharon Curhan
A research team led by Sharon Curhan, MD, ScM, of BWH's Channing Division of Network Medicine, has found that a higher body mass index (BMI) and larger waist circumference are each associated with a higher risk of hearing loss. Additionally, a higher level of physical activity was found to be associated with a lower risk of hearing loss in women.
"We often think of hearing loss as an inevitable part of the aging process, but these findings provide evidence that potentially modifiable risk factors, such as maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active, may help in the prevention of hearing loss or delay its progression," said Curhan, lead study author.
Using data from 68,421 women in the Nurses' Health Study II, who were followed from 1989 to 2009, researchers analyzed information on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, physical activity and self-reported hearing loss. The baseline and updated information was obtained through questionnaires received every two years.
Researchers found that the relative risk for hearing loss was 17 percent higher for women with a BMI of 30 to 34 (which represents moderate obesity), 22 percent higher for a BMI of 35 to 39 (severely obese) and 25 percent higher for women with a BMI of 40 or more (very severely obese), when compared to those with a BMI of less than 25 (healthy weight).
For waist circumference, the relative risk for hearing loss for those with a waistline of roughly 31 to 35 centimeters was 11 percent higher compared with women with a waist circumference of fewer than 28 inches. For those with waistlines greater than 35 inches, relative risk was 27 percent higher. The finding that larger waist circumference was associated independently with higher risk of hearing loss, even after taking BMI into account, suggests that fat tissue around the waist and belly may itself be a risk factor for hearing loss.
Researchers also found that a higher level of physical activity was associated with a lower risk of hearing loss. Women who were the most physically active had a 17 percent lower risk of hearing loss compared with women who were the least physically active. Walking, the most common form of physical activity reported among these women, was associated with lower risk. Walking two hours per week or more was associated with a 15 percent lower risk of hearing loss, compared with walking less than one hour per week.