The underlying foundation of noise-related hearing loss might seem well-founded. A fairly obvious cause-and-effect connection is indicated by the name, after all. Our fundamental understanding is that permanent hearing damage is a result of exposure to overly loud noise over a long period of time.
Though we’ve known this for some time now, we haven’t entirely understood the inherent mechanisms behind it. But because of new research, we’re gaining a deeper understanding of noise-related hearing loss, and this includes the role of zinc intake after being exposed to loud sounds. Hearing loss and zinc regulation have an important link according to this research.
How is hearing impairment impacted by zinc?
Zinc is a mineral needed for carrying out necessary bodily functions and most individuals have plenty of it. Zinc helps your brain interpret chemical signals and is linked to immune system functions. In most cases, a person’s diet supplies plenty of zinc.
The connection between zinc and hearing loss might, at first glance, be difficult to recognize. The connection between zinc and hearing isn’t, after all, immediately apparent. However, a unique experiment has shed some light on what’s going on.
Researchers exposed mice to loud sounds and conducted a few analyses afterward. In mice, as with humans, the sensitive mechanisms of the ear become damaged when exposed to loud sound. In humans, this may first be encountered as a temporary muffling of sound. As a person is regularly exposed to loud sound, this damage will become more serious and lasting. This damage can’t be healed in either humans or mice.
Researchers also took blood samples from the mice and noticed some interesting results in terms of free-floating zinc.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Scientists now have a better picture of how the symptoms of noise-related hearing loss occur because of this research. Usually, zinc in the body is molecularly bound. Researchers detected zinc in free-floating form when the experiment’s mice were subjected to loud noise. Zinc most likely responds the same way in humans.
This zinc de-regulation winds up doing cellular damage to the inner ear, particularly to the parts of the inner ear responsible for clear hearing. This is the mechanism that scientists now think leads to the kind of damage that causes noise-related hearing loss.
Treating hearing loss
In the future, this kind of understanding may help scientists prevent noise-induced hearing loss from ever occurring, even in those individuals who are often subjected to loud noises. However, it might be some time before those developments become a viable reality. But there are still other ways to safeguard your ears.
So, how can you safeguard yourself from noise-related hearing loss?
Here are several steps you can take to safeguard your hearing:
- Regulate your exposure to loud sounds: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines come under this category. But many 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: Detecting damage as early as possible can help minimize long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a routine hearing test is the best way to do that.
- Wear ear protection: If there are loud settings you want to be in, or merely can’t stay away from, ear plugs and ear muffs can help decrease the damage. If you go to that concert, for instance, wear a pair of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become permanently damaged as a consequence.
Understand the causes, protect your ears
Can noise-induced hearing loss be reversed? Regrettably not. Though you can successfully manage this form of hearing loss and any associated 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) develop better techniques and treatments designed to keep your hearing safe.
This research is probably just the first step in a longer process. 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.