Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Every time you hit the dance floor to the sound of loud music, you may risk losing your capacity to hear. But those with a substandard diet could be more vulnerable. 'People with healthy diets who eat adequate fruit and vegetables, have better hearing thresholds than people with a poor diet, according to large population databases,' Colleen Le Prell, professor at Florida University, was quoted as saying. Studies on animals have shown that dietary supplements such as vitamins A, C, E and magnesium can prevent hearing loss by reducing inflammation and swelling and increasing the blood supply to the inner ear.
Results are now expected next month of two recent clinical trials in humans that have studied whether dietary supplements and a new drug can protect hearing after exposure to a loud noise. This may mean we will be able to protect our ears by popping a vitamin pill before going out clubbing, The Guardian reported. However, experts warned that however effective a pill turns out to be, noise avoidance is the best strategy to prevent hearing loss. (Read: Hearing loss or deafness: 7 facts you ought to know)
Why people lose hearing as they age?
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging have found that as the brain becomes smaller with age, the shrinkage seems to be fast-tracked in older adults with hearing loss. The findings add to a growing list of health consequences associated with hearing loss, including increased risk of dementia, falls, hospitalizations, and diminished physical and mental health overall. For the study, Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues used information from the ongoing Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to compare brain changes over time between adults with normal hearing and adults with impaired hearing.The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging was started in 1958 by the National Institute on Aging to track various health factors in thousands of men and women.
Previous research from other studies had linked hearing loss with marked differences in brain structure compared to those with normal hearing, both in humans and animals. In particular, structures that process information from sound tended to be smaller in size in people and animals with impaired hearing. Lin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University schools of medicine and public health, says it was unknown, however, whether these brain structural differences occurred before or after hearing loss.
As part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, 126 participants underwent yearly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track brain changes for up to 10 years. Each also had complete physicals at the time of the first MRI in 1994, including hearing tests. At the starting point, 75 had normal hearing, and 51 had impaired hearing, with at least a 25-decibel loss. Read more about hear loss...
With inputs from IANS
You may also like to read:
For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.