Eli's Rehab Report

Published on Mon Jun 14, 2010 PDF

Not all patients do their homework, but now you can give them more reasons to stick to an exercise program.

The American Journal of Audiology published research earlier this year reporting that cardiovascular health positively impacts hearing over time, according to a press release from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

And the benefits were particularly notable among older adults. Many people naturally lose some hearing acuity as they grow older, but aging is only one of many factors that contribute to the decline, researchers pointed out.

The study reports evidence that cardiovascular fitness has a protective role in hearing loss prevention, the release reported. Other health and fitness determinants, body composition, blood pressure, and blood lipids displayed no significant relation to hearing sensitivity, whereas muscle strength was inversely related, researchers noted. Simply put, researchers found that cardiovascular fitness influences hearing due to increased blood circulation, especially to the organs and muscles on the inner ear, in particular, the stria vascularis in the cochlea. And metabolism and blood flow are directly related to the vascular pattern of the cochlea, the release said.