Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Moderate alcohol consumption and hearing loss: a protective effect.

M M Popelka1, K J Cruickshanks, T L Wiley

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53705-2397, USA.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|October 19, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sustained supplementation and monitored response with differing carotenoid formulations in early age-related macular degeneration.

Eye (London, England)·2015
Same author

Cognitive function and retinal and ischemic brain changes: the Women's Health Initiative.

Neurology·2012
Same author

Diabetic retinopathy in the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Cohort: a pilot study.

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2012
Same author

Retinopathy in old persons with and without diabetes mellitus: the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility--Reykjavik Study (AGES-R).

Diabetologia·2011
Same author

Measuring taste impairment in epidemiologic studies: the Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2009
Same author

Test-retest reliability of the San Diego Odor Identification Test and comparison with the brief smell identification test.

Chemical senses·2009
Same journal

Medicare Advantage Prior-Authorizations Are Linked to Racial Differences in End-of-Life Home Health Use.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

An Electronic Health Record "Nudge" to Reduce Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing for Primary Care Patients With Dementia: A Pragmatic RCT.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Reasons That Older Adults are Unable to Identify a Healthcare Agent.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Assigning Probable Dementia Status Using Routinely Collected Electronic Health Record Data.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Caregiver Burden at the Onset of Acute Hospital-At-Home.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Utilization Patterns Among Heterogeneous Subgroups of Homebound Older Adults: A Latent Class Analysis.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
See all related articles

Moderate alcohol consumption may protect against hearing loss in older adults. This study found a link between moderate drinking and reduced odds of hearing impairment, suggesting hearing loss isn't always part of aging.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Audiology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Hearing loss is a common condition in older adults, often considered an inevitable part of aging.
  • The potential influence of lifestyle factors, such as alcohol consumption, on age-related hearing decline requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between moderate alcohol consumption and the prevalence of hearing loss in a large population-based cohort of older adults.
  • To determine if alcohol consumption is inversely related to various types of hearing impairment, including low and high frequency hearing loss.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional population-based cohort study utilizing data from the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (EHLS) and the Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES).
  • Participants (n=3571 for EHLS, n=3722 for BDES) aged 43-84 underwent pure tone audiometry to measure hearing thresholds.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Alcohol consumption, medical history, and lifestyle factors were assessed via a structured interview questionnaire.

    • Main Results:

    • Moderate alcohol consumption (defined as >140 grams/week) was inversely associated with overall hearing loss (PTA > 25 dB HL; OR=0.71) and moderate hearing loss (PTA > 40 dB HL; OR=0.49).
    • Alcohol consumption showed an inverse association with both low frequency (OR=0.61) and high frequency hearing loss (OR=0.60).
    • Heavy drinking (≥4 drinks/day) was associated with an increased odds of high frequency hearing loss (OR=1.35), while cardiovascular factors did not significantly alter the protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption.

    Conclusions:

    • The study provides evidence for a modest protective association between moderate alcohol consumption and hearing loss in older adults.
    • These findings suggest that hearing loss may not be an unavoidable consequence of aging and could be influenced by modifiable lifestyle factors.
    • Further research is warranted to confirm these associations and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.