Daily folic acid supplementation for 3 years reduced age related hearing loss
Q Is daily folic acid supplementation for 3 years more effective than placebo for reducing age related hearing loss in older adults?
METHODS
Design:
substudy of a randomised, placebo controlled trial (Folic Acid and Carotid Intima media Thickness trial [FACIT]).
Allocation:
concealed.
Blinding:
blinded {patients, healthcare providers, data collectors, outcome assessors, data analysts, statisticians, data safety and monitoring committee, and manuscript writers}.*
Follow up period:
3 years.
Setting:
Gelderland province, the Netherlands.
Participants:
819 participants 50–70 years of age (mean age 60 y, 72% men) with total plasma homocysteine concentrations of 13–26 μmol/l and serum vitamin B12 concentrations ⩾200 pmol/l were recruited using municipal and local blood bank registries. 48 participants had ⩾1 household member who was also enrolled and received the same treatment as the previously randomised member. Participants also had to report ⩾80% adherence during a 6 week placebo run …
