L-shaped relationship between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss in United States adults: National health and nutrition examination survey

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319386
• Publication Date: 2025-02-25T18:47:27Z
• Authors: Zhaocha Gao; Yunbing Dai; Ting Liu; Yungang Wu; Xue Zhang
• Keywords: Science; Q; R; Medicine

Hearing loss poses a significant threat to human health, with its prevalence increasing annually. Niacin (vitamin B3) is an essential B vitamin that plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and cellular repair in the body. Additionally, it exerts a protective influence on the cells of the inner ear. A correlation between dietary niacin and hearing loss has been reported; however, the results remain controversial, requiring further investigation. This study aimed to examine the potential association between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss in United States (U.S.) adults, providing a reference for dietary preventive management of hearing loss. In this cross-sectional study, data derived from the National Health and Nutrition Survey for U.S. adults aged 20 to 69 years, spanning the 2011–2012 and 2015–2016 cycles, were used. Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline models, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were used to assess the stability of the results. A total of 7675 participants were included, of whom 772 (10.1%) exhibited low-frequency hearing loss (LFHL), 1165 (15.2%) had speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL), and 2816 (36.7%) had high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). In the final model, the adjusted odds ratios of dietary niacin intake and LFHL, SFHL, and HFHL in Q2 (16.97–23.40 mg/day) were compared with those in Q1 (≤16.96 mg/day) and were 0.73 (0.57–0.92), 0.76 (0.61–0.94), and 0.80 (0.67–0.96), respectively. The relationship between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss (HL) was illustrated via an L-shaped curve in the restricted cubic spline with an inflection point of approximately 23.26 mg/day. The odds ratios for HL in individuals with niacin intake less than 23.26 mg/day were as follows: 0.950 (0.917–0.984) for LFHL, 0.951 (0.921–0.982) for SFHL, and 0.965 (0.939–0.992) for HFHL. To summarize, an “L”-shaped correlation between dietary niacin intake and the occurrence of HL in U.S. adults with an inflection point estimated at approximately 23.26 mg/day was revealed in the present study.