Being overweight increases risk of hearing loss in women, but exercising lowers it, new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston suggests.
The findings come from data from 68,421 women followed from 1989 to 2009 in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Scientists looked at participants’ waist circumference, physical activity levels, body-mass index, and self-reported hearing loss.
"We often think of hearing loss as an inevitable part of the aging process, but these findings provide evidence that potentially modifiable risk factors, such as maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active, may help in the prevention of hearing loss or delay its progression," said Sharon Curhan, M.D., lead author of the study published online in the American Journal of Medicine and a researcher in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at BWH.
To read the full press release about the study, go here.