By Michele Michaels
Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing
Hearing Health Care Program Manager
As a kid you might remember your parents telling you to “eat your carrots to protect your vision” or “spinach will make you big and strong.” While this might have seemed like a parental ploy to get you to eat better, scientific research proves there really may be something to it. For example, calcium is known to build strong bones and zinc is a great immune system booster. However, what you may not know is that some vitamins and minerals are critical for protecting your hearing health. Before adding any supplements to your diet, be sure to check with your doctor.
While it might seem like a no-brainer that eating a nutritious diet is important to keeping the body running efficiently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 80% of Americans fail to eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits. Consuming enough vitamins and minerals can go a long way in keeping you healthy as they play a vital role in overall health and optimal body function. While there are 300 genes associated with hearing, what you eat can be just as important as your biology.
Here are some vitamins, minerals and foods that promote better hearing:
Alphabet soup: Get your vitamins A, B, C, D and E, as they all can help your hearing. A,C,E and the minerals zinc and iron help protect against ear infections in children. Frequent ear infections in children can cause hearing loss later on. Food such as dark chocolate, cashews, almonds, pork, beef and lentils are a perfect source of zinc.
Folate/folic acid/vitamin B9. Foods rich in these nutrients help your body generate new cell growth and help to increase circulation in the body, contributing to the overall health of the hair cells in your inner ear. Peas, leafy greens, beans, liver, and citrus fruits are high in folic acid.
Magnesium: Eating foods rich in magnesium, like bananas, potatoes, artichokes, and broccoli, helps to combat free radicals. Free radicals are created in the body when the body is exposed to loud noises. Those free radicals aren’t free. They create oxidative stress, which is one cause of age-related hearing loss. Magnesium acts like a protective barrier for the tens of thousands of sensitive hair cells in the inner ear.
Potassium. Potassium is a mineral that helps to regulate the fluid in body tissues and blood. What you might not realize is that there is fluid in the inner ear and this fluid helps to translate the sounds that we hear into electrical impulses decoded by the brain. Potassium levels naturally decline as we age, and low potassium could be a contributing factor towards the development of age-related hearing loss. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, raisins, apricots, potatoes, spinach and lima beans.
No bones about it! The three tiniest bones in your body are located just behind your eardrum in your middle ear. These bones can be just as susceptible to bone loss as any other bone in your body, so make sure you get enough vitamin D from the sun, food, or supplements.
Does this sound fishy to you? If it does, then your better hearing today may have resulted from eating one to two servings per week of fish. The Omega 3 fats found in many types of seafood have been shown to help several conditions, including hearing. High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, can damage hearing, so focus on getting the good fats like those found in fish.
Besides making sure you get enough good food, vitamins and minerals, what else should you know about hearing health? Since the number one cause of hearing loss is loud noise, make sure to protect your hearing with earplugs and sound-limiting headphones. Smokers have a higher rate of hearing loss, which is another good reason to stop smoking now. Heavy alcohol use is also damaging to hearing, so remember to keep alcohol intake in moderation. The incidence of hearing loss in children can be reduced by making sure the child receives immunizations against rubella, measles, mumps, and meningitis. Avoid taking ototoxic medications unless necessary to your health, as use or overuse can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss. Once your hearing is gone it is very unlikely that it will come back, but there is much you can do to protect and preserve your hearing today.
By Michele Michaels
Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing
Hearing Health Care Program Manager
As a kid you might remember your parents telling you to “eat your carrots to protect your vision” or “spinach will make you big and strong.” While this might have seemed like a parental ploy to get you to eat better, scientific research proves there really may be something to it. For example, calcium is known to build strong bones and zinc is a great immune system booster. However, what you may not know is that some vitamins and minerals are critical for protecting your hearing health. Before adding any supplements to your diet, be sure to check with your doctor.
While it might seem like a no-brainer that eating a nutritious diet is important to keeping the body running efficiently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 80% of Americans fail to eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits. Consuming enough vitamins and minerals can go a long way in keeping you healthy as they play a vital role in overall health and optimal body function. While there are 300 genes associated with hearing, what you eat can be just as important as your biology.
Here are some vitamins, minerals and foods that promote better hearing:
Alphabet soup: Get your vitamins A, B, C, D and E, as they all can help your hearing. A,C,E and the minerals zinc and iron help protect against ear infections in children. Frequent ear infections in children can cause hearing loss later on. Food such as dark chocolate, cashews, almonds, pork, beef and lentils are a perfect source of zinc.
Folate/folic acid/vitamin B9. Foods rich in these nutrients help your body generate new cell growth and help to increase circulation in the body, contributing to the overall health of the hair cells in your inner ear. Peas, leafy greens, beans, liver, and citrus fruits are high in folic acid.
Magnesium: Eating foods rich in magnesium, like bananas, potatoes, artichokes, and broccoli, helps to combat free radicals. Free radicals are created in the body when the body is exposed to loud noises. Those free radicals aren’t free. They create oxidative stress, which is one cause of age-related hearing loss. Magnesium acts like a protective barrier for the tens of thousands of sensitive hair cells in the inner ear.
Potassium. Potassium is a mineral that helps to regulate the fluid in body tissues and blood. What you might not realize is that there is fluid in the inner ear and this fluid helps to translate the sounds that we hear into electrical impulses decoded by the brain. Potassium levels naturally decline as we age, and low potassium could be a contributing factor towards the development of age-related hearing loss. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, raisins, apricots, potatoes, spinach and lima beans.
No bones about it! The three tiniest bones in your body are located just behind your eardrum in your middle ear. These bones can be just as susceptible to bone loss as any other bone in your body, so make sure you get enough vitamin D from the sun, food, or supplements.
Does this sound fishy to you? If it does, then your better hearing today may have resulted from eating one to two servings per week of fish. The Omega 3 fats found in many types of seafood have been shown to help several conditions, including hearing. High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, can damage hearing, so focus on getting the good fats like those found in fish.
Besides making sure you get enough good food, vitamins and minerals, what else should you know about hearing health? Since the number one cause of hearing loss is loud noise, make sure to protect your hearing with earplugs and sound-limiting headphones. Smokers have a higher rate of hearing loss, which is another good reason to stop smoking now. Heavy alcohol use is also damaging to hearing, so remember to keep alcohol intake in moderation. The incidence of hearing loss in children can be reduced by making sure the child receives immunizations against rubella, measles, mumps, and meningitis. Avoid taking ototoxic medications unless necessary to your health, as use or overuse can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss. Once your hearing is gone it is very unlikely that it will come back, but there is much you can do to protect and preserve your hearing today.
