Seafood Consumption and Tinnitus Study

Researchers established that seafood consumption, even at regular rates, particularly tuna, light-meat fish, and shellfish, is highly related to a lower risk of developing persistent tinnitus among women. A recent study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted by Sharon G. and colleagues. The study probed into the potential association between seafood consumption and supplementation with fish oil regarding the risk for the development of persistent tinnitus, a common debilitating illness characterized by ringing or noise in the ears on a daily basis.

Tinnitus is a condition for which very few standard treatments exist, and it may indeed be a terribly life-disabling disorder. Since seafood intake has been associated with a lower risk of hearing loss, the authors of this study aimed to explore whether a similar association between seafood consumption and the development of persistent tinnitus might exist. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the independent effect of total seafood intake, specific types of fish, shellfish, and use of fish oil supplements on the risk of developing persistent tinnitus in women.

This cohort study followed 73,482 women who were enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1991 through 2021. Diet data were collected by using a validated food frequency questionnaire, which is given every 4 years. The questionnaire examined the consumption frequency of seafood and, specifically, the consumption of certain types of fish (tuna, light-meat fish, dark-meat fish), shellfish, and fish oil supplements. Tinnitus that persisted was defined when tinnitus occurred every day. Multivariable-adjusted associations between seafood intake, fish oil supplements, and the risk of tinnitus were measured using Cox proportional hazards regression, with adjustments for any confounding factors by age, diet, and lifestyle.

Summary of Key Findings

• During the follow-up periods of 1,998,421 person-years, 9,362 new-onset persistent tinnitus cases were reported.
• The study established a positive association between increased amounts of seafood and reduced risks of the development of tinnitus.
• Compared to those who had no seafood consumption, were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.95) per serving per week.
• Pooled multivariate HR: 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68-0.86) for 2-4 servings per week, and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.64-0.96) for 5+ servings per week (p <0.0001).

When seafood types were examined separately, regular consumption of tuna fish, light-meat fish and shellfish was inversely related to the risk of tinnitus:

• Tuna fish: MVHR of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.78-0.90) for 1 or more servings per week (p <0.0001).
• Light-meat fish: MVHR of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.83-0.99) for 1 or more servings per week (p = 0.04).
• Shellfish: MVHR of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.72-0.93) for 1 or more servings per week (p <0.0001).
• Darker-meat fish intake was associated with higher risks of tinnitus, with an MVHR of 1.09 (95% CI, 0.99-1.21; p = 0.04).
• Fish oil supplementation was associated with a higher risk of chronic tinnitus, with an MVHR of 1.12 (95% CI, 1.06-1.19).

These results pointed out the relevance of dietary patterns in preventing tinnitus and suggested that increasing seafood in the diet may also be helpful in lowering the risk for this debilitating condition. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon in question require further research for full understanding. These can then serve as guidelines for recommendations of safe consumption of seafood and supplement intake to prevent tinnitus.

Reference

Curhan, S. G., Zeleznik, O. A., & Curhan, G. C. (2024). Longitudinal study of seafood and fish oil supplement intake and risk of persistent tinnitus. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.09.028