Hearing loss and your diet
The chances are that you have heard the expression before: “eat lots of carrots and you’ll be able to see in the dark”, but it’s not just your eyes that are affected by your diet. It has been found that what you eat can have a large impact upon your hearing. The science behind it! Just like any area of your body, your ears need the right nutrients to keep them healthy and to do their job right. However, if they don’t get the vitamins they need, then they won’t be able to protect themselves against wear and tear, repair themselves or fight against infections.
What foods should I be eating to make sure I don’t suffer from hearing loss?
How Omega 3 and Vitamin D rich foods can prevent hearing loss:
It is commonly known that fish such as salmon and tuna contain high levels of omega 3 and Vitamin D, but few realised the difference that it can make to peoples’ ability to hear. By eating fish twice a week, you lower the risk of age-related hearing loss by 42%.
Preventing hearing loss with Anti-oxidants::
By regularly eating foods that are high in anti-oxidants such as: spinach, asparagus, beans, broccoli and blueberries you can decrease the risk of hearing loss by up to 20%. Anti-oxidants reduces the number of free radicals in your body that could damage your inner ears and therefore result in hearing loss.
How Magnesium can help:
Simply by eating foods that have a high magnesium content such as: bananas, potatoes, artichokes or broccoli, you can reduce the risk of noise induced hearing loss.
Zinc and hearing loss:
Who would have thought that eating dark chocolate would be good for your ears? However, it contains a high concentration of zinc that helps prevent damage to your inner ears.
Vitamins C and E to prevent against hearing loss:
Extremely easy to get a hold of with this being contained in many fruit and vegetables, vitamin C and E work in a similar manner to anti-oxidants to get rid of free radicals and strengthen your immune system. This will in turn reduce the likelihood of ear infections that could damage your ears.
Summary
Taking care of your ears, like any part of your body begins with having a healthy diet, but just because you eat these foods doesn’t mean that you are not susceptible to a hearing loss through age related issues or noise so we recommend that you look after your ears by opting for a regular hearing check.
