A recent study has shown how well you eat can impact slowing age-related hearing loss. The study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital concluded that women with healthier diets had less hearing loss than those with a less healthy diet. Stock up on fresh produce at Missoula Farmer’s Market to promote your long-term hearing health.
Impact of a Healthy Diet
Nearly 25% of people aged 65-74 have disabling hearing loss. The study of 3,135 women showed that the odds of a decline in mid-frequency hearing loss decreased by 30% among those who followed a healthy diet pattern. It also showed that the women were 25% less likely to develop high-frequency hearing loss when following a healthy diet.
A healthy diet promotes overall well-being and is linked to a lower risk of diseases that impact arteries and veins, which are essential to hearing health. Additionally, a healthy diet provides our bodies with minerals and antioxidants that work to protect our hearing. Some diets have been proven to lower rates of hearing loss, such as the healthy diets below:
- AMED (Alternate Mediterranean Diet): fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes and olive oil. Encourages eating fish and limiting alcohol intake.
- DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension): fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meats and low-fat dairy. Encourages limiting sodium, sugar and fat.
- AHEI-2010 (2010 Alternative Healthy Eating Index): fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Encourages limiting sugar, salt and animal fat.
Protect Your Hearing Health
It’s still important to protect your hearing, as hearing damage can happen independently of a healthy diet. Exposure to loud noises over time can damage hearing. Use precautions around loud noises and care for your ears to protect your hearing health.
Ways to protect your hearing health:
- Use earplugs or other hearing protection in loud settings
- Keep ears dry to avoid Swimmer’s ear
- Heed notifications from smart devices alerting you your volume is too high
- Let your hearing rest between sessions of loud noises
If you have questions about how to protect your hearing, contact a hearing specialist at Western Montana Hearing and Speech.