It may seem as though the roots of noise-induced hearing loss are functionally well-recognized. A fairly clear-cut cause-and-effect connection is suggested by the name, after all. The universal understanding is simply that loud sounds damage the hearing mechanisms in the ear, leading to long-term and permanent hearing loss.
And while that’s accurate, the mechanisms underpinning that cause have not always been so well understood. But because of new research, we’re gaining a deeper understanding of noise-related hearing loss, including the role of zinc intake after being exposed to loud sounds. Hearing loss and zinc management have an important connection according to this research.
How is hearing impairment affected by zinc?
Zinc is a mineral required for executing necessary bodily functions and most people have plenty of it. Healthy levels of zinc are connected with a well-functioning immune system and play a part in how well your brain interprets chemical signals. With a few exceptions, most individuals receive plenty of zinc from their food every day.
The link between zinc and hearing loss may, at first glance, be difficult to recognize. The relationship between zinc and hearing isn’t, after all, immediately apparent. However, a novel experiment has shed some light on what’s happening.
Researchers performed some analysis on mice that were exposed to loud sound. In mice, as with humans, the fragile mechanisms of the ear become damaged when exposed to loud noise. For humans, sound will initially become impermanently muffled. As an individual is regularly exposed to loud sound, this damage will become more serious and lasting. In both mice and humans, the body isn’t capable of healing or repairing this damage.
Researchers also took blood samples from the mice and observed some interesting results in terms of free-floating zinc.
Does zinc help or cause hearing loss?
Scientists now have a better understanding of how the symptoms of noise-related hearing loss happen because of these results. Usually, zinc in the body is molecularly bound. Researchers detected zinc in free-floating form after the experiment’s mice were exposed to loud noise. Zinc most likely responds the same way in humans.
This zinc de-regulation winds up causing cellular damage to the inner ear, specifically to the parts of the inner ear in control of clear hearing. This is the mechanism that scientists now believe leads to the type of damage that causes noise-related hearing loss.
Managing hearing loss
In the future, this kind of understanding may help scientists stop noise-related hearing loss from ever happening, even in those people who are often subjected to loud noises. Unfortunately, these developments are likely still some ways off. But that doesn’t mean your ears can’t be protected.
So, you may be asking: how can I prevent noise-induced hearing loss?
Here are several steps you can take to safeguard your hearing:
- Consistently check in with your hearing specialist: Getting a hearing test (and routinely checking in with us) can help detect damage early.
- Limit your exposure to loud sounds: This clearly includes noises like jet engines, concerts, or sporting events. But there are some more commonplace noises that can cause hearing loss that might be surprising, including things like a leaf blower, traffic, or individuals speaking loudly in a busy office.
- Use hearing protection: If there are noisy environments you want to be in, or merely can’t stay away from, ear plugs and ear muffs can help lessen the damage. If you go to that concert, for example, wear a set of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become permanently damaged as a result.
Understand the causes, safeguard your ears
Can you reverse noise-related hearing loss? Regrettably not. This type of hearing loss and tinnitus can’t be cured, though it can be managed quite effectively. Strategies created to keep your hearing safe will be more successful the better you understand the mechanisms behind hearing loss.
Although this research is encouraging, we still have a ways to go. But every bit helps. On an individual level, it’s important to take measures to safeguard your hearing and check in with your hearing specialist.