It may seem as though the roots of noise-induced hearing loss are functionally well-understood. A fairly clear-cut cause-and-effect connection is suggested by the name, after all. Our basic understanding is that permanent hearing damage is a result of exposure to overly loud sound over a long period of time.
And while that’s accurate, the mechanisms underpinning that cause haven’t always been so well understood. That’s improving, thanks to new research into the role of zinc management after exposure to loud sounds. Hearing loss and zinc regulation have a significant link according to this research.
How is hearing impairment impacted by zinc?
Zinc is a mineral required for executing necessary bodily functions and most people have an abundance of it. 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.
The link between zinc and hearing loss might, at first glance, be difficult to identify. The link between zinc and hearing isn’t, after all, instantly apparent. However, a novel experiment has shed some light on what’s happening.
Researchers exposed mice to loud noises and performed a few analyses afterward. 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. This will become more serious and more permanent as persistent noise exposure continues. This damage can’t be healed in either humans or mice.
Researchers also took blood samples from the mice and observed some fascinating results in terms of free-floating zinc.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Because of this research, scientists now better understand how noise-induced hearing loss symptoms happen. Typically, zinc in the body is molecularly bound. During the experiment, researchers observed that zinc became free-floating when the ears were subjected to loud noises and sound-related stresses. Zinc most likely responds the same way in humans.
This zinc de-regulation ends up doing cellular damage to the inner ear, specifically to the parts of the inner ear responsible for clear hearing. Scientists are now thinking that this is one of the mechanisms that causes hearing damage related to noise exposure.
Treating hearing loss
As scientists gain a better understanding of this, they may be able to formulate novel methods to prevent hearing loss in people who are regularly exposed to loud noise. However, it may be some time before those developments become a viable reality. But that doesn’t mean your ears are defenseless.
So, how can you protect yourself from noise-related hearing loss?
There are several strategies you can use to protect your ears:
- Wear ear protection: Ear muffs and ear plugs can help your ears cope with noisy settings that you can’t, or don’t want to avoid. 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 irreversibly damaged as a consequence.
- Consistently check in with your hearing specialist: Discovering damage as early as possible can help reduce long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a routine hearing test is the best way to do that.
- Regulate your exposure to loud sounds: This clearly includes noises such as 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 people talking loudly in a busy office.
Protect your ears by understanding causes
Can noise-related hearing loss be reversed? Regrettably not. Even though you can effectively treat this type of hearing loss and any associated tinnitus, it has no cure. Better understanding the causes of hearing loss and the mechanisms by which hearing loss works can help hearing specialists (and you) formulate better strategies and treatments designed to keep your hearing safe.
This research is probably just the first step in a longer undertaking. But we seem to be getting closer to understanding. On an individual level, it’s essential to take steps to protect your hearing and check in with your hearing specialist.
