Hearing Function and Nutritional Status in Aviation Pilots from Spain Exposed to High Acoustic Damage.

Morais-Moreno, Carmen; Montero-Bravo, Ana M.; Puga, Ana M.; de Lourdes Samaniego-Vaesken, Mª; Ruperto, Mar; Marco Mendez, Rocío; Vicente-Arche, Álvaro; Varela-Moreiras, Gregorio; Partearroyo, Teresa

Noise-induced hearing loss is the most frequent and preventable occupational disease. Aviation pilots are a vulnerable population, as they spend many hours exposed to noise pollution in their working environment. Different studies suggest that certain dietary compounds may play a key role in the etiology and prevention of this pathology. We aimed to study the relationship linking auditory function, dietary intake, and some serum biomarkers in pilots, exposed to noise in the work environment. A total of 235 pilots, who undergo a periodic medical examination at the Centro de Instrucción de Medicina Aeroespacial (Madrid, SPAIN), were evaluated. Auditory function was assessed by tonal audiometry. Energy and nutrient intakes were estimated by 24 h recall (DIALTM program). Serum homocysteine (Hcy) was determined in a Cobas 6000TM multi-analyzer while folate, vitamin B12, and D were analyzed in a Cobas e411TM. The prevalence of hearing loss (HL) was 64.3%. HL was significantly related to age (r = 0.588, p ≤ 0.001) and flight hours (r = 0.283, p ≤ 0.001). A multiple linear regression model was used to assess the relationship among HL, flight hours, serum folate, and Hcy serum levels. HL was significantly (p < 0.050) associated with flight hours (β = 0.246), serum folate (β = −0.143), and serum Hcy (β = 0.227). Nutritional interventions would be of great interest to monitor and slow down the HL progression in populations exposed to noise pollution in their workplace.

SPAIN; NOISE-induced deafness prevention; HOMOCYSTEINE; BIOMARKERS; WORK environment; NUTRITIONAL assessment; AIR pilots; MULTIPLE regression analysis; NUTRITIONAL requirements; AERONAUTICS; VITAMIN B complex; VITAMIN D; DIETARY supplements; HEARING disorders; AUDIOMETRY; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; INDUSTRIAL hygiene; FOLIC acid; DATA analysis software; NUTRITIONAL status

Nutrients, 2022, Vol 14, Issue 20, p4321

2072-6643

Academic Journal

10.3390/nu14204321