The Influence of Diet on Perceived Voice Fatigue in Professional Voice Users: An Exploratory Survey

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to understand if diet, particularly diets that are low in animal sources of creatine, which is one substrate important for muscle metabolism, may play a role in the perception of voice fatigue in vocal performers. Method: Individuals who use their voice professionally as performers were recruited for an online survey that collected demographic information, vocal performance metrics, and dietary details regarding the number of servings of animal protein per week. Participants were also asked to complete three standardized, validated vocal function questionnaires. All data were descriptively analyzed. Reported diet, hydration, and hours of performance per week were compared with vocal function questionnaire scores. Results: A clear link between dietary intake of animal sourced creatine and perception of voice tiredness as measured with vocal function questionnaires was not observed. Increased reported hydration appeared to have slightly lower perception of voice tiredness. Volunteers who reported higher vocal performance hours per week tended to score higher on the vocal function questionnaire regarding voice tiredness measures. Conclusions: Diet absent or low in creatine does not appear to have a meaningful effect on the experience of vocal fatigue in vocal performers. Higher water intake indicated somewhat lower perceived voice fatigue and hours of reported vocal performance per week indicated somewhat higher perceived voice fatigue, both results of which are consistent with clinical and empirical observations.