INDUSTRY INSIGHT
W
YOUR HEARING
SPONSORED CONTENT
Preventing Hearing Loss with Good Nutrition
ho would think that what you eat has anything to
do with how you hear? Good nutrition plays
an important part in our whole health
picture – why not with our hearing health? A
healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet can
certainly help delay or even prevent hearing loss.
Over the past two years, I have been educating
myself about nutrition in an attempt to get fit,
maintain good health, and age gracefully. In my research,
I was surprised to find that nutrition even plays a part in our overall
hearing health.
Antioxidants act as hearing loss supplements by reducing the
number of free radicals swirling through your body. Those free
radicals have the potential to damage the nerve tissue in your ears.
This can reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss by 20%! Some
researchers claim that antioxidants can help prevent tinnitus (ringing
in the ears) and damage due to noise exposure. Eat more spinach,
asparagus, broccoli, avocado, lentils, beans, eggs, liver, and nuts,
which all contain antioxidants, particularly in the form of folic acid.
Zinc deficiencies have been connected to age-related hearing loss.
Evidence has shown that inadequate zinc intake may be associated
with hearing impairment. Low levels of zinc can also be correlated
with perceived loudness of one’s tinnitus. Indulge in some dark
chocolate, which contains zinc. If you do not enjoy dark chocolate,
cooked oysters are another good source of zinc, as well as spinach,
cashews, and mushrooms.
Magnesium is known to help expand blood vessels and improve
circulation; it also helps control the release of glutamate, one of
the major contributors to noise-induced hearing loss. Magnesium
deficiency increases the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Foods
rich in magnesium can help protect the hearing of people with noisy
jobs or hobbies subjecting them to intense noises. One study showed
that supplementing the diet with magnesium reduced noise-induced
hearing loss in men aged 16-37 years. Some foods to reach for that
are rich in magnesium include bananas, artichokes, broccoli, squash,
potatoes, and soy beans.
Melatonin, which has often been touted as an essential hormone
for healthy sleep, is also effective at preventing hearing damage
after exposure to loud noise. Researchers have also found melatonin
to be effective in protecting against hearing loss due to aging,
particularly high-frequency hearing loss. Studies have also shown
that melatonin can help provide relief from tinnitus, especially in
combination with sulpiride. This is accomplished by diminishing the
activity of dopamine, a chemical in the brain. Foods rich in melatonin
are pineapple, bananas, oranges, oats, sweet corn, rice, tomatoes, and
barley.
This Industry Insight was written by Debra L. Greenberger,
owner of Eartique. She received her master’s degree in
audiology (hearing science) from Washington University in
St. Louis, Missouri, and she is certified by the American
Speech and Hearing Association. Debra has been diagnosing
hearing loss and fitting hearing aids for over 25 years.
Allison L. Chase, Au.D., CCC-A, earned her Master of Arts
degree in audiology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in
2004. She completed her clinical doctorate in audiology from
Salus Univ