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

This study aimed to examine the potential association between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss in U.S. adults, providing a reference for dietary preventive management of hearing loss. Data from the 2011–2012 and 2015–2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used in this cross-sectional study. A total of 7,675 participants aged 20 to 69 years were included. Of these, 772 (10.1%) exhibited low-frequency hearing loss (LFHL), 1,165 (15.2%) had speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL), and 2,816 (36.7%) had high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline models, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were employed to assess the stability of the results.In the final model, the adjusted odds ratios (OR) for dietary niacin intake and LFHL, SFHL, and HFHL in Q2 (16.97–23.40 mg/day) compared to Q1 (≤16.96 mg/day) 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 through an L-shaped curve in the restricted cubic spline, with an inflection point at approximately 23.26 mg/day. The odds ratios for HL in individuals with niacin intake below 23.26 mg/day were as follows: 0.95 (0.917–0.984) for LFHL, 0.951 (0.921–0.982) for SFHL, and 0.965 (0.939–0.992) for HFHL.In summary, the present study revealed an L-shaped relationship between dietary niacin intake and the occurrence of hearing loss in U.S. adults, with an estimated inflection point of approximately 23.26 mg/day.