In a study recently published out of the Netherlands, folic acid appeared to slow age-related hearing loss. Although previous research linked low folic acid levels to bad hearing, this is the first data to suggest that folic acid supplements can actually slow the onset of hearing loss as people get older.

The only real downside to this study is that because it was done in the Netherlands, when laws prevented folate fortified foods, the patients followed started out with folic acid levels at only half of the average U.S. citizen. So more research will need to be done to see if the results hold true under different circumstances, and that (I'm sure) will take awhile.