Effects of Erinacine A-Enriched Hericium erinaceus on Elderly Hearing-Impaired Patients: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial

Authors: Yin-Ching Chan, Tzu-Chun Lin, Chin-Chu Chen, Li-Ya Lee, Wan-Ping Chen, Ya-Zue Liu, and Juen-Haur Hwang

Journal: Journal of Functional Foods

Study Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Participants: 80 hearing-impaired patients aged 50-79 (59 completed the trial)

Trial Length: 8 months

Intervention:

• HE group (n = 32): 8 boluses of HE mycelia (containing 2000 mg HE mycelia and 10 mg erinacine A) daily
• Placebo group (n = 27): 8 boluses of placebo honey daily

Primary Outcomes:

• Pure tone audiometry (PTA): average hearing thresholds at all, low, and high frequencies (PTA-all, PTA-low, PTA-high)
• Speech recognition threshold (SRT)
• Speech discrimination score (SDS)
• Serum concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF)

Summary: The study investigated the effects of erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus (HE) mycelia on hearing impairment in elderly patients. The results showed that HE mycelia treatment could improve hearing loss, particularly for high frequencies (PTA-high) and speech recognition (SRT), in patients aged 65 and older. The treatment also increased serum NGF levels in this age group. The study suggests that HE mycelia may be a potential therapeutic option for age-related hearing impairment, especially in older individuals.