Although polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are recognized for their beneficial impact on human health, evidence regarding their association with high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL) remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association between the dietary intake of n − 3 and n − 6 PUFAs, dietary n − 6/n − 3 PUFA ratio, and HFHL. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 2 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2012 and 2015 to 2016. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of dietary n − 3 and n − 6 PUFA intake and the dietary n − 6/n − 3 PUFA ratio with HFHL. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were performed to evaluate potential dose–response relationships. Stratification and sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the findings. A total of 6454 adults aged 30 to 69 years were included (mean standard deviation age, 49.2 [11.4 years; 50.9% women), among whom 44.7% had HFHL. After full adjustment, higher dietary intake of both n − 3 and n − 6 PUFAs was associated with lower odds of HFHL (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.87–0.99 for n − 3 PUFAs; and 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81–0.99 for n − 6 PUFAs). RCS analyses demonstrated a linear inverse dose–response relationship (all P for nonlinearity > 0.05). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses generally supported the robustness of these associations; no significant interactions were observed for n − 3 PUFAs. For n − 6 PUFAs, a significant interaction was detected in the race/ethnicity subgroup (interaction P < .001), whereas interactions were not significant in other subgroups. Dietary n − 3 and n − 6 PUFA intake and HFHL among adults in the United States aged 30–69 years were negatively associated. This finding could have significant implications for further research on modifying dietary patterns to address HFHL.
Gao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.