It’s well understood, that over longer periods of time, eating way too much will be harmful to your health. Obesity is associated with a number of health conditions. You can add hearing loss to high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes as a potential problem. It’s calculated that approximately 48 million individuals in the United States, around 20% of this country’s population, deal with hearing loss, and around double that number of adults, 93 million, are obese. These numbers are staggering and point to a significant health issue throughout the country.
What is The Relationship Between Loss of Hearing And Obesity?
Numerous studies have demonstrated that hearing loss and being overweight have a connection. Specifically what that connection is, is still being investigated, it’s assumed that being overweight is related to hearing loss because of its effect on our circulatory system. Also, hearing loss is connected to high blood pressure and diabetes which are known to be associated with obesity.
Sound in the ear is detected by little hairs inside the inner ear. So that they can function effectively, these tiny hairs, called stereocilia, have to have a steady blood flow. Obesity confines the flow of blood throughout the body since the heart will have to work extra hard to get the blood to flow throughout the body, which means that there is less than ideal amount of blood flow supplied to your ear. This can irreversibly damage the ears. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease impact the inner ear in the same manner, since each of these illnesses negatively impacts your blood flow.
Keeping your weight under control is particularly relevant as you get older since age-related hearing loss and high-fat mass index are also related. Your body’s metabolism won’t work as fast or as well as it once did, which is why you need to attempt to follow healthy habits that you started when you were younger.
Your hearing and your general health are helped by a healthy diet.
Obesity Related Loss of Hearing Treatments
If your hearing loss is caused by obesity, you might never be able to get it back, however, it’s always smart to get your hearing tested to identify the extent of your loss of hearing. If the injury is permanent, you may require a hearing aid or other device to start hearing properly again.
If the damage is not that extreme, you may want to consult your doctor about initiating an exercise and diet strategy to lessen the impact your weight has on your well being before it gets any worse. Your doctor should set up a cardio intensive exercise regimen that will strengthen your general health and get your blood pumping. You will probably find that other aspects of your life also get better, mental health, as an example, since day to day exercise will decrease depression according to a lot of research.
Obesity-Related Hearing Loss, How to Stop it
diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure Keeping your body healthy can also assist in keeping your ears in superior shape. A program that can help you achieve your goals and that is individualized for you can be created by a nutritionist. The role of the nutritionist is to make sure you’re consuming healthy foods with the best combination of nutrients, foods that are high in iron, for example, because of course, a lack of iron in your diet can result in tinnitus and cause hearing loss.
Discover more concerning hearing loss and the treatment options available to let you hear better.