As children, most of us were most likely advised to eat our carrots for good eyesight. But, did anyone ever suggest foods beneficial to your hearing? Not likely. We can now teach our kids what to eat for healthy hearing; advice that’s probably wise for us to adhere to as well.
Numerous factors can cause hearing impairment, including noise, infections and age.
Specific nutrients that may help impede or prevent certain of hearing loss are contained in the food described below.
The good news is that even some foods we think of as treats, such as dark chocolate, are beneficial to hearing health. Age-related hearing loss has been linked to zinc deficiencies, and zinc is an ingredient in dark chocolate. Any foods containing zinc will do, so if you don’t care for dark chocolate, eat some oysters instead!
Extreme noise exposure can trigger the generation of damaging free radicals which are linked to the demise of inner ear hair cells. Antioxidants and folic acid can help protect against tissue damage from free radicals. Common foods that are rich in both antioxidants and folic acid are nuts, eggs, spinach and asparagus.
The omega-3 fats and vitamin D found in some types of fish, such as salmon and trout, have been shown to prevent age-related hearing difficulties in scientific studies.. Other good omega-3 fats and vitamin D choices are the anchovies on your pizza and the cans of tuna most likely sitting in your pantry. Eaten two times per week, any one of these have a good chance of helping you hear better later in life.
Professionals subjected to loud noise at work, such as musicians or machinery workers, are at an elevated risk for ear damage. People with an occupation or pastime subjecting them to extreme sound, can help safeguard their hearing with potatoes, artichokes, bananas, or any sort of foods loaded with magnesium. Research studies have shown that magnesium-rich foods help defend against noise-induced hearing loss. The mechanism for how the magnesium does this is not understood, but the result has been observed in animals and humans.
Nowadays we can help our children lessen future hearing damage with a few basic foods we probably have in our home’s kitchen. Just add some of these suggestions to the grocery list next to carrots for better eyesight.