Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults, yet people of the same age often experience very different levels of hearing decline.
A new Duke University study, led by Rong Jiang, PhD, assistant professor in Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, suggests that these differences may be explained, in part, by biological aging—how fast the body ages at the molecular level - rather than by chronological age alone.
Unlike chronological age, which simply counts years, biological age reflects cumulative wear and tear on the body’s tissues and systems. Epigenetic age acceleration, derived from chemical modifications on DNA, reflects faster or slower aging relative to chronological age, and has been linked to higher risk of chronic diseases and death.
Researchers used five well‑established epigenetic “clocks” to estimate biological aging and examined their associations with standardized hearing test scores and clinically defined hearing loss.
“Some individuals appear biologically older than their actual age, while others appear younger,” Jiang said. “We wanted to determine whether this biological aging process is linked to hearing decline.” Results were published in the Journal Ear and Hearing.
The study analyzed more than 1,700 participants using data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, making it one of the largest investigations to date linking molecular aging markers to hearing health.
Results showed that people with accelerated biological aging had worse hearing test scores and were more likely to have clinically defined hearing loss. This relationship was stronger in women than in men.
Researchers don’t yet know why these differences exist, but they think it may involve sex‑specific pathways related to hormonal regulation, vascular aging, inflammation, or immune function. “These results highlight the importance of studying aging and hearing through a sex‑specific lens,” Jiang said.
Identifying biological markers that signal increased risk could help clinicians detect hearing problems earlier and tailor preventive strategies. “Epigenetic aging markers may someday help identify individuals who could benefit from earlier hearing screening or interventions aimed at slowing biological aging,” Dr. Jiang said.
Future research will explore whether slowing biological aging—through lifestyle changes or medical interventions—could help preserve hearing as people grow older.