Vitamins, Minerals, and Your Hearing

There are many things you can do to protect your ears from damage: keeping the TV at a reasonable volume, wearing earplugs in very loud settings, avoiding cigarettes, and so on. Your diet can also affect your hearing ability in ways that may surprise you. Researchers are exploring the connection between certain vitamins, minerals, and people's overall hearing levels – and finding some interesting results.

If you think you may be suffering from a hearing impairment, it is important to schedule a hearing test with a qualified audiologist as soon as you can. He or she can make important recommendations about lifestyle changes and assistive technology that could greatly help. For more information about hearing health, call a hearing aid specialist from HearingPlanet at 1-800-432-7669.

Components of a Healthy Diet

Vitamins and minerals cannot reverse hearing loss that has already occurred, but they may be able to help your body protect itself from future hearing loss. Some good nutrients to include in your diet are:

• Iron. This mineral helps the body produce red blood cells, which transport oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficient individuals can develop anemia, or a lack of red blood cells. Over time, interruptions in the body's flow of oxygen may damage the nerves of the inner ear. Meat, spinach, and beans are good sources of iron.
• Vitamin A. This important vitamin helps the eyes, skin, bones, and immune system remain strong. If a person does not eat enough of it, he or she can be more prone to ear infections and damage caused by noise exposure. Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, melons, and liver.
• Vitamin B. This vitamin helps nerve cells remain strong. In fact, vitamin B complex has been used successfully to treat certain kinds of sudden deafness. A healthy diet requires several different forms of vitamin B: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12. Eggs, salmon, bananas, and leafy greens are good sources of vitamin B.

Talk to your doctor about dietary changes that may help your hearing and your overall health.

Contact a Hearing Aid Consultant

HearingPlanet provides efficient services to anyone looking for more information about hearing loss solutions. To learn about hearing aids and other assistive devices that could benefit you, contact our hearing aid professionals at 1-800-432-7669.