In 13,908 Japanese adults aged 50 to 79, a population that eats a lot of seafood, seafood and omega-3 intake were not linked to hearing thresholds. In men, higher saturated fat intake was linked to slightly better hearing.
In 3596 Australians aged 45 to 70 followed for six years, mild-or-greater hearing loss rose from 14% to 26%. Smoking, higher weight, high blood pressure, prediabetes and noisy workplaces were linked to faster decline.
A meta-analysis of 13 851 adults from Australia, Iceland and the USA, published Oct. 13, 2026, in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, linked increasing hearing loss to higher mortality, and current hearing aid use to lower mortality (hazard ratio 0.91).