There are plenty of health reasons to stay in shape, but did you realize weight loss promotes improved hearing?
Research indicates children and adults who are overweight are more likely to experience hearing loss and that eating healthy and exercising can help strengthen your hearing. Understanding more about these associations can help you make healthy hearing decisions for you and your family.
Obesity And Adult Hearing
Women are more likely to experience hearing loss, according to research carried out by Brigham And Women’s Hospital, if they have a high body mass index (BMI). The relationship between height and body fat is what BMI measures. The higher the number the higher the body fat. The higher the BMI of the 68,000 women in the study, the higher their hearing loss amount. The heaviest people in the study had a 25% higher instance of hearing loss.
Another dependable indicator of hearing impairment, in this study, was the size of a person’s waist. With women, as the waist size gets bigger, the risk of hearing loss also increases. As a final point, participants who took part in regular physical activity had a decreased incidence of hearing loss.
Children’s Hearing And Obesity
Research conducted by Columbia University’s Medical Center revealed that obese teenagers had nearly twice the risk of developing hearing loss in one ear when compared to non-obese teenagers. These children experienced sensorineural hearing loss, which is a result of damage to sensitive hair cells in the inner ear that carry sound. This damage resulted in a diminished ability to hear sounds at low frequencies, which makes it hard to hear what people are saying in crowded settings, like classrooms.
Children frequently don’t detect they have a hearing problem so when they have hearing loss it’s especially worrisome. There will be an increasing danger that the issue will get worse as they become an adult if it’s not treated.
What is The Connection?
Obesity is associated with several health problems and researchers suspect that its connection with hearing loss and tinnitus lies with these health issues. High blood pressure, poor circulation, and diabetes are all linked to hearing loss and are frequently the result of obesity.
The sensitive inner ear contains numerous delicate parts such as nerve cells, small capillaries, and other parts that will quit working efficiently if they are not kept healthy. It’s crucial to have strong blood flow. High blood pressure and the narrowing of blood vessels brought about by obesity can impede this process.
Decreased blood flow can also damage the cochlea, which receives sound waves and transmits nerve impulses to the brain so you can distinguish what you’re hearing. Damage to the cochlea and the surrounding nerve cells usually can’t be reversed.
What Should You do?
Women in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital study who exercised the most had a 17 percent lower chance of experiencing hearing loss versus those who exercised least. Reducing your risk, however, doesn’t mean you need to be a marathon runner. Walking for a couple of hours per week resulted in a 15 percent reduced chance of hearing loss than walking for less than an hour.
Your whole family will benefit from a better diet, as your diet can positively affect your hearing beyond the advantages gained through weight loss. If you have a child or grandchild in your family who is overweight, talk about steps your family can take to encourage a healthier lifestyle. You can incorporate this routine into family gatherings where you all will do exercises that are fun for kids. They might do the exercises on their own if they enjoy them enough.
Talk to a hearing specialist to determine if any hearing loss you may be experiencing is related to your weight. Weight loss stimulates better hearing and help is available. This individual can perform a hearing exam to verify your suspicions and advise you on the steps necessary to correct your hearing loss symptoms. A program of exercise and diet can be recommended by your primary care physician if needed.