Doctors often stress the importance of a healthy diet, particularly as we age. You’ve heard the old saying “you are what you eat”, and in some ways that’s true. Eating a heart-healthy diet not only improves your heart health, it also supports better hearing.
Studying Diet and Hearing Loss
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston looked at the links between diet and hearing. They studied data from over 3,000 women and looked at their diet and their hearing levels at the beginning of the study and again after three years.
They found that women who ate a heart-healthy diet were 25% less likely to have hearing loss! We often assume that hearing loss is an inevitable part of aging, but what if that’s not true? This research suggests that some simple changes in diet can greatly reduce your risk of developing hearing loss.
How Diet Affects Hearing
It’s clear that eating a healthy diet can impact your hearing. But how does the food you eat affect your hearing? This is where the heart comes in. Cardiovascular conditions and heart diseases are linked to hearing loss. When your heart isn’t functioning optimally, your ears may not be getting enough oxygen rich blood. The ears are very sensitive to any changes in oxygen levels, and they are easily damaged if they don’t receive an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood. When the cells in your ear are damaged or die, you’ll experience hearing loss.
Eating a diet that supports heart health will benefit your ears! When you eat a diet that’s good for your heart, you’ll lower your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other heart conditions. This will keep your ears healthy and support your hearing health.
What is a Heart-Healthy Diet?
The healthiest diets are those that include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, beans, and lean meat. Eating a heart-healthy diet will lower your risk of hearing loss. The most popular heart-healthy diets include the alternate Mediterranean diet (AMED) and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
Alternate Mediterranean Diet: The AMED stresses the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The diet also includes healthy oils like olive oil, nuts, whole grains, and legumes. This diet restricts intake of red meat and encourages eating fish.
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension: The DASH also encourages eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fish, low-fat dairy and lean meats are also on the menu. This diet restricts the intake of sugar and sodium.
Make Sure You’re Getting Vitamins and Minerals
If you’re eating a healthy diet, you’re probably getting all the vitamins and minerals that you need. A healthy diet is also a source of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. However, don’t assume you’re getting all the vitamins that you need, and take a moment to learn about the vitamins and minerals that will support better hearing.
Folic acid or Folate: This is a B vitamin that’s important for your cells. It helps with circulation as well as helping create new cells.
Potassium: Potassium helps the body regulate fluid levels in the blood as well as in other cells, such as the cells in the inner ear. Eating enough potassium will help the cells in the ear maintain the right fluid level.
Zinc: This mineral helps you maintain your immune system as well as helping the body repair damaged cells. It can also protect your ears against ear infections, and may stave off tinnitus.
Magnesium: Magnesium is important for bone health, heart health, and blood pressure. It can also protect the ears against noise induced hearing loss by reducing free radicals in the ear and protecting the inner ear from damage.
Supporting Better Hearing
You can support better hearing by eating a heart-healthy diet as well as by protecting your ears. If you’re exposed to very loud noise, make sure you protect your hearing with earplugs or earmuffs. Have you noticed any signs of hearing loss? Call us to book a hearing test and find out how you can support better hearing. Together we’ll find out exactly what sounds you’re missing, and find the right hearing aids to support better hearing.