It may seem as if the causes of noise-related hearing loss are functionally well-understood. 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, causing long-term and permanent hearing loss.
And while that’s accurate, the mechanisms underpinning that cause have not always been so well established. But because of new research, we’re developing a greater understanding of noise-related hearing loss, including the role of zinc intake after being exposed to loud noises. This research reveals that there’s a significant link between zinc and hearing loss.
How is hearing loss affected by zinc?
Zinc is a common mineral. Most people have plenty of zinc in their bodies, carrying out specific and essential functions. Zinc helps your brain translate chemical signals and is connected to immune system functions. With a few exceptions, most people get enough zinc from their daily food intake.
At first glance, it might be challenging to see the connection between hearing loss and zinc. After all, it isn’t immediately obvious what role zinc plays in your hearing. However, a novel experiment has shed some light on what’s going on.
Researchers exposed mice to loud noises and conducted a few analyses afterward. When exposed to loud sounds, the same thing happens to mice as happens to humans: the sensitive parts of the ear are damaged. In humans, this may first be experienced as a temporary muffling of sound. This will become more acute and more permanent as persistent noise exposure continues. In both mice and humans, the body is not able to heal or repair this damage.
Researchers also took blood samples from the mice and noticed some fascinating results in terms of free-floating zinc.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Scientists now have a better understanding of how the symptoms of noise-induced hearing loss occur because of these results. Typically, zinc in the body is molecularly bound. Researchers discovered zinc in free-floating form after the experiment’s mice were subjected to loud noise. It’s likely the same thing occurs in humans.
The free-floating zinc causes damage to sensitive portions of the inner ear that are essential in order to hear clearly. Scientists are now thinking that this is one of the mechanisms that causes hearing damage due to noise exposure.
Treating hearing loss
In the future, this kind of understanding could help scientists stop noise-induced hearing loss from ever happening, even in those individuals who are often subjected to loud noises. However, it may be some time before those advancements become a viable reality. But that doesn’t mean your ears can’t be protected.
So, how can you safeguard yourself from noise-related hearing loss?
There are a number of strategies you can employ to safeguard your ears:
- Wear ear protection: Ear muffs and ear plugs can help your ears cope with loud settings that you can’t, or don’t want to stay away from. If you go to that concert, for example, use a set of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become permanently damaged as a consequence.
- Limit your exposure to loud noises: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines belong to this category. But most people would also be surprised to discover that everyday noises like chatty offices, traffic, or lawnmowers can also lead to hearing damage.
- Routinely check in with your hearing specialist: Discovering damage as early as possible can help decrease long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a regular hearing test is the best way to do that.
Understand the causes, safeguard your ears
Can you reverse noise-related hearing loss? Sadly no. Though you can successfully treat this form of hearing loss and any related tinnitus, it can’t be cured. Better understanding the causes of hearing loss and the mechanisms by which hearing loss functions can help hearing specialists (and you) formulate better techniques and treatments designed to keep your hearing safe.
Although this research is promising, we still have a ways to go. But every bit helps. On an individual level, it’s essential to take steps to safeguard your hearing and check in with your hearing specialist.