We’ve known for a long time that eating too much is detrimental to our health, this is especially true over time. Obesity is associated with quite a few health issues. Heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and you can add hearing loss to the list, as well. It’s estimated that around 48 million people in the United States, around 20% of the nation’s population, deal with loss of hearing, and almost twice that amount of adults, 93 million, are obese. These numbers are staggering and point to a significant health problem throughout the country.
How Is Being Overweight Linked to Hearing Loss?
Numerous studies have shown that hearing loss and obesity have a relationship. Precisely what that link is, is still being investigated, it’s believed that obesity is linked to hearing loss because the circulatory system is impacted. Additionally, loss of hearing is related to diabetes and high blood pressure which are known to be linked to being overweight.
Our inner ears are filled with tiny hairs that perceive sound in the ear. These little hairs, called stereocilia, require a steady blood flow and oxygen to work properly. Due to obesity, the blood flow is restricted throughout the body since, so they can get the blood flowing inside the body, the heart needs to do extra work, which means that your inner ear is functioning on too little blood flow. This can irreversibly harm the ears. Because all of these diseases effect the blood flow, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes affect the inner ear in a similar way.
Keeping your weight under control is particularly important as you get older since age-related hearing loss is also linked to a high fat mass index. When you were younger, your body’s metabolism worked more efficiently and faster, which is why you need to try to stick to healthy habits that you started when you were younger.
Your hearing and your overall health are helped by good nutrition.
Solutions For Obesity-Related Loss of Hearing
It’s feasible that you might not be able to recover your lost hearing if it’s caused by obesity, still, so that you can find out how significant your hearing loss is, it’s beneficial to get your ears examined. If you have permanent damage, you may require a hearing aid or other device to start hearing properly again.
If the injury is only minor, you may want to consult your physician about making a diet and exercise program to reduce the effect your weight has on your health before it gets any worse. Your doctor should set up a cardio intensive exercise regimen that will get your blood pumping and improve your overall health. You will likely find that other aspects of your life also get better, mental health, for example, since consistent exercise has been shown to decrease depression.
How to Prevent Obesity-Related Hearing Loss
In order to prevent obesity-related loss of hearing day to day exercise and a nutritious diet are a must. Keeping your body healthy will also assist in keeping your ears in good condition. A program that can assist you to attain your goals and that is personalized for you can be created by a nutritionist. The nutritionist can make certain you’re eating the best mix of nutrients in nutritious foods, foods that are high in iron, for example, since, you guessed it, a lack of iron in your diet can aggravate your hearing loss and lead to tinnitus.
Discover more about hearing loss and how you can hear better with the appropriate treatment.