Supplements that Combat Hearing Loss

You know that getting the right food is important for your health in every way. You know that you should eat a lot of healthy fats, whole grains, vegetables and fruits and stay away from processed foods, refined flour and sugar. You might even take a multivitamin or other supplement to make sure your body is getting what it needs. But have you ever thought about what nutritional supplements have to do with hearing loss?

Supplements That Help Blood Flow

Anything that helps keep the hair cells in the inner ear healthy will help people hear better. Getting more blood to the cochlea can help these important hair cells stay healthy.

Magnesium

Many tests have shown that magnesium makes blood flow better. Increased blood flow from taking in more magnesium has even been shown to lessen the effects of hearing loss caused by noise. Make sure your multivitamin has all the magnesium you need, even if you don’t have to deal with loud noises.

Hearing loss caused by noise is a big health problem for adults, but scientists have found that magnesium might help protect the ears from more damage. When we hear loud sounds, our ears make free radical molecules. These molecules damage the hair cells in the inner ear. These hair cells are needed to send the electrical impulses that the brain interprets as sounds. Damage to these hair cells can cause permanent hearing loss or loss of hearing in one ear.

On the other hand, magnesium might protect the hair cells. In one study, 300 people who took a magnesium supplement before being exposed to loud noise for a long time were much less likely to lose their hearing because of the noise than the control group.

You can get magnesium from the following foods:

• Quinoa
• Dark chocolate
• Almonds
• Tofu

Coenzyme Q10

This enzyme, which is often called CoQ10, is also important for healthy hair cells, which are needed for good hearing. Studies with people have shown that taking 160–600mg of CoQ10 every day can slow down sudden sensorineural hearing loss. It not only helps the hair cells get the nutrients they need, but it also has antioxidant properties and helps the mitochondria work. Because of this, it is also often recommended for heart health.

Free radicals can cause damage, but antioxidants can stop it. These antioxidants get rid of free radicals in the body and limit how much damage they can do to your hearing.

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)

Glutathione is one of the most common antioxidants in the body, and NAC makes the body make more of it. NAC helps your body make more antioxidants on its own. It has been used for years to treat an overdose of acetaminophen, but now scientists are finding that it can also protect hair cells from damage caused by noise.

Lipoic Acid

Glutathione production can be boosted by supplements other than NAC. Animal studies with lipoic acid show that it can protect against both age-related hearing loss and hearing loss caused by noise.

Vitamin C

Think about having a glass of orange juice each day. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and orange juice has a lot of it. When combined with other vitamins like B, A and E, it can even help protect against the effects of drugs that are bad for the ears.

Zinc

This mineral is also a good antioxidant. Studies have shown that it helps with tinnitus and some types of hearing loss. Some kinds of hearing loss have also been linked to not getting enough zinc. Zinc is usually found in most multivitamins, which is good news.

This micronutrient is known to help activate and make T-cells, which are the body’s defense cells that can find and kill bacteria, viruses and other invaders. Even though studies have shown mixed results about whether zinc prevents ear infections or not, this anti-inflammatory mineral can still help your hearing in other ways. Research shows that taking zinc supplements can help people with sudden hearing loss get their hearing back and make it better.

Note: Talk to your doctor before adding a zinc supplement to your daily routine. This is especially important if you take antibiotics or diuretics, as zinc can interact badly with these types of drugs.

You can get more zinc from foods like:

• Legumes
• Cashews, rice and pumpkin seeds.

There isn’t a magic pill that will get rid of or fix hearing loss overnight. But you can do a lot to protect your hearing by making sure you get all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes your body needs to keep blood flowing, keep mitochondria working and make its own antioxidants. To learn more, get in touch with your local audiologist contact Davis Audiology at (864) 810-6238.

This article is for informational purposes only. Refer to your physician when discussing supplements and your overall health.