It might seem as if the causes of noise-related hearing loss are functionally well-recognized. A fairly clear-cut cause-and-effect connection is indicated by the name, after all. The universal understanding is simply that loud sounds damage the hearing mechanisms in the ear, resulting in long-term and irreversible hearing loss.
And while that’s accurate, the mechanisms behind that cause haven’t always been so well established. That’s changing, thanks to emerging research into the role of zinc management after exposure to loud sounds. This research indicates that there’s an important link between zinc and hearing loss.
How is hearing loss affected by zinc?
Zinc is a commonplace mineral. The majority of people have an abundance of zinc in their bodies, performing distinct and essential functions. Zinc helps your brain interpret chemical signals and is connected to immune system functions. With a few exceptions, most individuals receive enough zinc from their daily food intake.
The connection between zinc and hearing loss might, at first sight, be difficult to identify. The connection between zinc and hearing isn’t, after all, instantly apparent. However, a unique experiment has shed some light on what’s happening.
Researchers exposed mice to loud sounds and performed a few analyses afterward. When exposed to loud noises, the same thing happens to mice as happens to humans: the fragile parts of the ear become damaged. For humans, sound will initially become temporarily muffled. This will become more acute and more permanent as chronic 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 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 these results. Normally, when zinc is in the body, it’s bound molecularly. During the experiment, researchers noticed that zinc became free-floating when the ears were subjected to loud noises and sound-related stresses. It’s likely the same thing occurs in humans.
This zinc de-regulation ends up causing cellular damage to the inner ear, especially to the parts of the inner ear responsible for clear hearing. This is the mechanism that scientists now believe leads to the type of damage that causes noise-induced hearing loss.
Treating hearing loss
As scientists reach a better understanding of this, they might be able to develop novel methods to prevent hearing loss in individuals who are frequently exposed to loud noise. However, it might be some time before those advancements become a viable reality. But that doesn’t mean your ears are defenseless.
So, how can you protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss?
There are a number of approaches you can employ to safeguard your ears:
- Regulate your exposure to loud noises: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines belong to this category. But there are some more commonplace noises that can cause hearing loss that may be surprising, including things like a leaf blower, traffic, or people speaking loudly in a busy office.
- Use ear protection: Ear muffs and ear plugs can help your ears deal with loud settings that you can’t, or don’t want to stay away from. If you go to that concert, for example, wear a pair of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become irreversibly damaged as a consequence.
- Routinely 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.
Safeguard your ears by understanding causes
Can you reverse noise-related hearing loss? Unfortunately 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 tailored to keep your hearing safe.
This research is probably just the first step in a longer process. But we seem to be getting closer to understanding. Your immediate role is to get your hearing examined and use ear protection.