Does Eating Healthy Foods Lower the Risk of Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is just part of aging, right? There’s not much you can do about it besides learn how to live without being able to hear what’s going on around you. It’s tough, but it happens.

WRONG! You can do many things to lower the risk of hearing loss as you age. The question today is, can eating healthy foods be one of those tactics you can use to reduce that risk? What’s the most recent research saying? Let’s find out more.

Nutrition and Hearing Health

Good nutrition is a fundamental part of healthy living. Without it, our body cannot perform properly. We’ve heard about the benefits of good nutrition before, but could it also apply to your hearing health? Although it may seem like far-fetched reasoning at first, recent studies tell us there is a definite link.

Please take note, we are only talking about preventing future hearing loss, not restoring hearing loss that has already occurred. But prevention is the key, and starting sooner than later will greatly benefit you and your loved ones!

Nutrients That Can Be Beneficial

Unfortunately, there isn’t just one green vegetable you can eat or one easy supplement you can take each morning with breakfast to give you all the benefits you need to reduce your risk of hearing loss, but there are a few nutrients that have been found to be extra valuable. Researchers have discovered that those who focus on eating fruits and vegetables, especially those containing minerals like folic acid and potassium, have less chance of experiencing hearing loss down the road. This is something worth paying attention to.

So, what nutrients should you be focusing on? Besides striving to eat a healthy, balanced diet, other important nutrients include:

• Potassium – you can find this in bananas, black beans, and potatoes. Potassium helps the inner ear work correctly, turning sounds into signals for the brain to interpret into information. Include a healthy dose of potassium in your diet for these benefits.
• Zinc – you can find this mineral in nuts like almonds and cashews as well as dark chocolate. Yum! Zinc can be helpful in treating a condition called tinnitus, where the patient hears a ringing or buzzing in their ear without that sound occurring externally.
• Magnesium – pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, and cashews are some of the foods that contain the largest amounts of magnesium. This mineral is believed to fight free radicals that occur when you hear loud noises, acting as a sort of protective barrier for the inner ear hair cells.
• Folic acid – foods rich in folic acid include your dark green leafy vegetables (turnip greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli). Folic acid has been shown to possibly slow down the occurrence of hearing loss in the first place by keeping blood flow regulated. The inner ear depends heavily on regular blood flow, and so this one is extremely important in keeping your ears hearing the way you need them to each day.

Not Getting the Proper Nutrients?

Of course, we know that lack of nutrition can affect the body as a whole, but now we know that hearing health can be adversely affected as well. Did you know that malnutrition can poorly affect the development of children and young adults and can slow the development of the inner ear, possibly affecting their ability to hear? Those kids that were not receiving proper nutrition were two times more likely to develop hearing loss as a youth than those that were fed a healthy diet.

In fact, it doesn’t just start with kids. It begins far before children are even born. A study found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that a pregnant mother that is not eating a healthy diet is able to and even likely to pass on any kind of nutrition deficiency that she may have to her unborn child. This malnutrition can slow inner ear development before the baby is even born, resulting in a higher risk of hearing loss as a youth.

Is There a Connection with Diabetes and Hearing Loss?

Those individuals with type II diabetes are absolutely at higher risk for developing hearing loss than those without diabetes. Even those that are on the edge of being diagnosed with diabetes and have higher glucose levels end up with a 30% increased risk. Why is this, you might ask? It’s because diabetes patients have a higher risk of damaged nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear which unfortunately happens the longer a patient has type II diabetes.

Another Reason to Eat Healthily

If you have wondered if you need to make a change to your diet and should start eating healthier, let your hearing health be another one of the reasons that you finally take the plunge. Although not many people know the effect proper nutrition can have on your hearing health, you now know differently and can make a change.

Add in a few of these healthy food choices and even consider supplementing if needed to get the nutrients you need to live a healthy life with your hearing intact. Pay attention to the nutrients we’ve discussed and if you feel like you have not included these in your diet very often, consider doing so for your long-term health success.

Have Questions?

If you have questions about your hearing health and the potential for hearing loss down the road, the best place to go for answers is a hearing specialist like Fairfax Hearing Center. Preserving ear and hearing health is our passion and helping those that struggle with hearing loss is one of our deepest desires. Because of this, our hearing specialist team is top-notch and always willing to go out of their way for our patients.

To learn more about what we do at Fairfax Hearing Center, contact us today to schedule a hearing test and consultation. We look forward to meeting you and helping with whatever your hearing health needs may be.