Red Wine and Grapes Can (MAY) Prevent Hearing Loss
Posted by CENTURY HEARING
By: Greg Marshall | Category: Other Nutrients
If you are like most people, you’ve had the experience of having difficulty hearing after attending a pop concert or watching a movie with loud sound effects. This temporary noise-induced hearing loss occurs as a result of inflammation of the cells in the ear that responsible for hearing. While short-term exposure to noise does not cause permanent hearing loss, repeated exposure to loud sounds can diminish your ability to hear.
Causes of hearing loss
As people age, the cumulative effects of noise exposure can take their toll. In the United States alone, 20 percent of the population suffers from some degree of hearing impairment. Additionally, people who work in conditions where they constantly deal with loud noises, often lose some of their hearing at an early age. For example, 12 percent of the soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq suffered some degree of hearing loss.
A substance in red wine and red grapes can prevent hearing loss
A substance found in the skin of red grapes, called resveratrol, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that has been shown in clinical studies1 to reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and to combat the effects of aging. A research team from Henry Ford Hospital, located in Detroit, Michigan, tested their hypothesis that resveratrol can reduce the inflammation that causes hearing loss.
This study investigated the effect of resveratrol on the production of COX-2, which is an inflammatory agent produced in the body. The team of scientists also evaluated the influence of resveratrol on free radicals, which are known to cause cell damage. The researchers first determined the effect of loud noise on the production of COX-2 in mice. They noticed that this substance increased and caused inflammation in the cells responsible for hearing. When resveratrol was administered to the mice, the production of COX-2 decreased, which in turn protected the ear tissues. Additionally, resveratrol also reduced the oxidative damage in the ear caused by free radicals, which also protected the mice from hearing loss.2
Protect your hearing with resveratrol
In addition to not being able to listen the sounds of children laughing and birds singing, hearing loss causes other health issues as well. Some of these problems include sleep difficulty and problems with communication. If you want to protect your hearing, as well as avoid the effects of aging, try taking a resveratrol supplement or a multivitamin that contains resveratrol.
References
1Price NL, Gomes AP, Ling AY, Duarte FV, Martin-Montalvo A, North BJ, Agarwal B, Ye L, Ramadori G, Teodoro JS, Hubbard BP, Varela AT, Davis JG, Varamini B, Hafner A, Moaddel R, Rolo AP, Coppari R, Palmeira C, de Cabo R, Baur JA, Sinclair DA. SIRT1 Is Required for AMPK Activation and the Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol on Mitochondrial Function. Cell Metabolism. 2012.
2Seidman, MD, Tang W, Bai VU, Ahmad N, Jiang H, Media J, Patel N, Rubin CJ, Standring RT. Resveratrol Decreases Noise-Induced Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in the Rat Cochlea. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2013.
If you are like most people, you’ve had the experience of having difficulty hearing after attending a pop concert or watching a movie with loud sound effects. This temporary noise-induced hearing loss occurs as a result of inflammation of the cells in the ear that responsible for hearing. While short-term exposure to noise does not cause permanent hearing loss, repeated exposure to loud sounds can diminish your ability to hear.
Causes of hearing loss
As people age, the cumulative effects of noise exposure can take their toll. In the United States alone, 20 percent of the population suffers from some degree of hearing impairment. Additionally, people who work in conditions where they constantly deal with loud noises, often lose some of their hearing at an early age. For example, 12 percent of the soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq suffered some degree of hearing loss.
A substance in red wine and red grapes can prevent hearing loss
A substance found in the skin of red grapes, called resveratrol, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that has been shown in clinical studies1 to reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and to combat the effects of aging. A research team from Henry Ford Hospital, located in Detroit, Michigan, tested their hypothesis that resveratrol can reduce the inflammation that causes hearing loss.
This study investigated the effect of resveratrol on the production of COX-2, which is an inflammatory agent produced in the body. The team of scientists also evaluated the influence of resveratrol on free radicals, which are known to cause cell damage. The researchers first determined the effect of loud noise on the production of COX-2 in mice. They noticed that this substance increased and caused inflammation in the cells responsible for hearing. When resveratrol was administered to the mice, the production of COX-2 decreased, which in turn protected the ear tissues. Additionally, resveratrol also reduced the oxidative damage in the ear caused by free radicals, which also protected the mice from hearing loss.2
Protect your hearing with resveratrol
In addition to not being able to listen the sounds of children laughing and birds singing, hearing loss causes other health issues as well. Some of these problems include sleep difficulty and problems with communication. If you want to protect your hearing, as well as avoid the effects of aging, try taking a resveratrol supplement or a multivitamin that contains resveratrol.
References
1Price NL, Gomes AP, Ling AY, Duarte FV, Martin-Montalvo A, North BJ, Agarwal B, Ye L, Ramadori G, Teodoro JS, Hubbard BP, Varela AT, Davis JG, Varamini B, Hafner A, Moaddel R, Rolo AP, Coppari R, Palmeira C, de Cabo R, Baur JA, Sinclair DA. SIRT1 Is Required for AMPK Activation and the Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol on Mitochondrial Function. Cell Metabolism. 2012.
2Seidman, MD, Tang W, Bai VU, Ahmad N, Jiang H, Media J, Patel N, Rubin CJ, Standring RT. Resveratrol Decreases Noise-Induced Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in the Rat Cochlea. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2013.
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