It’s well understood, that over time, overeating will be harmful to your health. There are quite a few health conditions related to obesity. You can add hearing loss to high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes as a possible problem. It’s calculated that approximately 48 million individuals in the United States, around 20% of the nation’s population, have loss of hearing, and in adults it’s nearly twice that number, 93 million, are obese. Throughout the country, these surprising numbers point to a significant health issue.
What is The Connection Between Hearing Loss And Obesity?
Various studies have demonstrated that there’s a relationship between obesity and loss of hearing. Although scientists are still studying the connection, it’s assumed that being overweight is related to hearing loss because of its impact on our circulatory system. Also, loss of hearing is linked to diabetes and high blood pressure which are known to be connected to obesity.
The inner ears are filled with little hairs that detect sound in the ear. These hairs, called stereocilia, have to have a steady flow of blood and oxygen to function properly. Obesity restricts the flow of blood throughout the body because the heart will have to work extra hard to get the blood flowing around the body, which means that your inner ear is working on less-than-optimal blood flow. The ears can be irreversible impaired by this. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes impact the inner ear in a similar way, since all of these diseases negatively effects your blood flow.
Keeping your weight in check is especially important as you age since age-related hearing loss is also related to a high fat mass index. Your body’s metabolism won’t work as fast or as well as it did in the past, which is why you should try to follow healthy habits that you formed when you were younger.
Your ears and your general health are benefited by good nutrition.
Treatments For Obesity-Associated Hearing Loss
If your hearing loss is triggered by obesity, you may never be capable of getting it back, still, in order to find out how considerable your loss of hearing is, it’s beneficial to have your ears checked out. If the damage is irreversible, you might need a hearing aid or other device to begin hearing correctly again.
If the damage is only minor, you might have considered trying to see your doctor before your health worsens, about making an exercise and diet plan to decrease the impact your weight has on your well being. Your doctor should recommend a cardio intensive exercise routine that will improve your general health and get your blood pumping. You will probably find that other aspects of your life also improve, mental health, for instance, since regular exercise has been proven to reduce depression.
Obesity-Related Hearing Loss, How to Stop it
So that you can protect against obesity-related hearing loss regular exercise and a nutritious diet are essential. Keeping your body healthy will also help keep your ears in superior condition. A program that can help you attain your goals and that is individualized for you can be put together by a nutritionist. The nutritionist can make certain you’re consuming the correct mix of nutrients in nutritious foods, such as foods that are high in iron, since, you guessed it, a lack of iron in your diet can worsen your hearing loss and result in tinnitus.
Find out more concerning hearing loss and how you can hear better with the correct treatment.