Sex-specific Association Between High-frequency Hearing Thresholds and Sarcopenia in Community-dwelling Older Adults
Abstract
Objective To investigate the association between hearing thresholds and sarcopenia, as well as related factors, including muscle mass, muscle strength, and the physical function, among older adults.Patients or Materials Community-dwelling adults ≥65 years of age who participated in the Kyotango Longevity Cohort Study.Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed. Hearing thresholds at 1,000 and 4,000 Hz were measured using an audiometer. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the criteria defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between hearing thresholds and sarcopenia and its components, adjusting for potential confounding variables.Results A total of 1,032 participants (415 males) with a mean age of 73.6 years were analyzed. The mean (SD) hearing thresholds were 31.3 (17.2) dB at 1,000 Hz and 43.6 (20.8) dB at 4,000 Hz. Sarcopenia was present in 7% of the participants (7% of men and 6% of women). In males, higher thresholds (worse hearing) at 4000 Hz were significantly associated with increased odds of sarcopenia (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.37, p = 0.001), whereas no association was observed in females ( p for interaction = 0.007). In men, severe hearing loss (≥60 dB at 4000 Hz) was associated with a greater likelihood of sarcopenia (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.31-9.13, p for interaction = 0.02).Conclusion Poor hearing at high frequencies was significantly associated with sarcopenia in older men but not in women. These results suggest a sex-specific association between high-frequency hearing loss and sarcopenia in older adults.
Related
- Practical Approaches to Nutritional Interventions for Malnutrition, Sarcopenia, and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults and Care Home Populations: A Narrative Review
- The role of sarcopenia in all-cause mortality prediction among community-dwelling adults with eGFR 15–89 mL/min/1.73 m2
- Association of sarcopenia with 9-year trajectories of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older Chinese adults
- Association of dietary total antioxidant capacity, dietary inflammatory index, and dietary phytochemical index with sarcopenia in middle-aged and older Iranian women: a case-control study
- Association of the sarcopenia index based on the serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio and genetic risk with venous thromboembolism: a population-based cohort study
BibTeX
@article{yamamoto2026sexspecific,
title = {{Sex-specific Association Between High-frequency Hearing Thresholds and Sarcopenia in Community-dwelling Older Adults}},
author = {Shinta Yamamoto and Takashi Nakamura and Hiroshi Okada and Hanako Nakajima and Naoko Nakanishi and Masahide Hamaguchi and Satoaki Matoba and Shigeru Hirano and Michiaki Fukui},
journal = {Internal Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2169/internalmedicine.8024-26},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_8024-26/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sex-specific Association Between High-frequency Hearing Thresholds and Sarcopenia in Community-dwelling Older Adults
AU - Shinta Yamamoto
AU - Takashi Nakamura
AU - Hiroshi Okada
AU - Hanako Nakajima
AU - Naoko Nakanishi
AU - Masahide Hamaguchi
AU - Satoaki Matoba
AU - Shigeru Hirano
AU - Michiaki Fukui
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Internal Medicine
DO - 10.2169/internalmedicine.8024-26
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_8024-26/_article
AB - Objective To investigate the association between hearing thresholds and sarcopenia, as well as related factors, including muscle mass, muscle strength, and the physical function, among older adults.Patients or Materials Community-dwelling adults ≥65 years of age who participated in the Kyotango Longevity Cohort Study.Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed. Hearing thresholds at 1,000 and 4,000 Hz were measured using an audiometer. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the criteria defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between hearing thresholds and sarcopenia and its components, adjusting for potential confounding variables.Results A total of 1,032 participants (415 males) with a mean age of 73.6 years were analyzed. The mean (SD) hearing thresholds were 31.3 (17.2) dB at 1,000 Hz and 43.6 (20.8) dB at 4,000 Hz. Sarcopenia was present in 7% of the participants (7% of men and 6% of women). In males, higher thresholds (worse hearing) at 4000 Hz were significantly associated with increased odds of sarcopenia (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.37, p = 0.001), whereas no association was observed in females ( p for interaction = 0.007). In men, severe hearing loss (≥60 dB at 4000 Hz) was associated with a greater likelihood of sarcopenia (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.31-9.13, p for interaction = 0.02).Conclusion Poor hearing at high frequencies was significantly associated with sarcopenia in older men but not in women. These results suggest a sex-specific association between high-frequency hearing loss and sarcopenia in older adults.
SN - 1349-7235
SN - 0918-2918
ER -