Eat Less - Hear More

For a long time, we’ve been hearing that eating less and exercising more is beneficial for our health, weight and fitness. Now, researchers at the University of Florida and University of Wisconsin have discovered that restricting the amount of food you eat can also save your hearing.





Scientists have long known that the overall lifespan of an organism can be lengthened with a calorie-restricted diet. But this new research, published in the latest issue of the journal Cell, has discovered a new protein, called Sirt3, which is produced when the body receives less calories than normal. This protein lessens the damaging impact free radicals have on the human body, including the delicate membranes of the ears, and hence may slow age-related hearing loss.





Age related hearing loss is caused by the death of sensory hair and nerve cells in the inner ear and these cells do not regenerate themselves, meaning that hearing loss is permanent. This research not only provides some guidelines as to how we can better take care of our health and hearing, but also provides a new target for anti-aging drug therapies and potential medication and supplements to slow age-related hearing loss.



"If we can find drugs or nutritional interventions that activate Sirt3, we may be able to slow down the aging process in mammals," study author Tomas Prolla said.



In the auditory system, resveratrol, which is found naturally in plants such as grapes and nuts, has also been shown to effectively reduce noise-induced hearing loss in rats, and is another ongoing area of research. Research projects such as these are of continuing importance, with millions of people around the world affected by hearing problems such as single sided deafness and tinnitus.