Folic acid may prevent hearing loss

According to a new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, of 728 Dutch men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 years old assigned to receive either 800 micrograms of folic acid per day or placebo for three years, those using folic acid had less hearing loss compared to those with placebo. This study is particularly important because food is not fortified with folic acid in the Netherlands. At the beginning of the study, the participants' folic acid levels were half of that typically seen in the United States, where food is fortified.