How Can Your Diet Affect Your Hearing Health?

Protecting your hearing is important as you get older and hearing problems become more likely. There are a lot of obvious ways to do that, like avoiding excessive noise, but have you thought about the impact that your diet has? A lot of people don’t realize that there is a strong link between the way that you eat and the health of your ears, but there are some important vitamins and nutrients that your body needs if you are going to protect your hearing as you get older. Here’s how to adjust your diet to protect your hearing health. 

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Cut Back On Carbs 

Most people already know that carbs aren’t great if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight, which is why it’s a good idea to cut back or even cut them out completely. The keto diet, a very low carb diet, has a whole range of health benefits but one of the lesser known ones is that it can help to improve your hearing. This is often due to the anti-inflammatory effects of a low carb diet but it may also be down to your sugar intake. Although this won’t work for everybody, a lot of people with hearing issues like tinnitus report that a low carb diet makes a big difference. 

Potassium 

Potassium is very important for ear health because it helps to regulate the levels of fluid in the inner ear. As you get older, the fluid levels tend to decrease and this leads to common issues, like gradual or sudden hearing loss. People that are already hearing impaired will still benefit from increasing their potassium intake but it’s especially important in younger people that are worried about their hearing in the future. You can find potassium in a lot of fruits and vegetables, like bananas, oranges, spinach and tomatoes. There are also high levels in dairy, so adding more milk and yogurt to your diet is a good idea. 

Folic Acid 

Folic acid helps with cell regeneration and improves the health of hair follicles. This is important because there are a lot of tiny hairs inside the ear and when they get damaged, it can cause hearing issues. Folic acid is found in green vegetables, like broccoli, spinach and asparagus. You also find it in a lot of fortified breakfast cereals, so always check the box before you buy.  

Omega 3 

Omega 3 has so many health benefits, like reducing inflammation and slowing the signs of aging, which is why so many people make an effort to add more to their diet. But did you know that it can also help to preserve your hearing? Often, hearing loss is not due to a physical issue with the ear itself but, instead, it is caused by a problem with the ear sending signals to the brain. Eating omega 3 helps to improve brain function and strengthens the signals that are sent between the two, so your hearing is better. Oily fish is the best source of omega 3, but you can also find it in things like soybeans and flaxseed oil. 

Adding more of these things to your diet will make a big difference to your hearing health and help you to avoid hearing loss in the future. 

Written by ItsSandraLynn