Don’t let your sweet tooth harm your hearing

Diabetes and diet increase risk.

Diabetes, or a diet dripping with sugar, increases your risk of hearing problems, research has revealed. And that’s a worry as the latest data shows Canadians could now be facing hearing challenges. Patient data confirms there are 11 million people in Canada living with diabetes and suggests that most of them don’t even realize the symptoms. The link between diabetes and impaired vision is well known, but there is far less awareness of the risk that high blood sugar levels pose to hearing. But an Australian study of 2,956 over-50s found that those with the highest intake of sugar and carbohydrates — which the body quickly converts into sugar — have a 76 per cent higher risk of hearing loss than those who favoured foods with a low GI, or glycaemic index, which don’t trigger spikes in blood sugar levels. Data from the United States suggest that as many as seven out of 10 people between the ages of 50 and 69 who have diabetes also have high frequency hearing impairment — a deficit which makes it difficult to hear women and children, and to detect the consonants s, f and th, such as in the words sausages, fulfillment and thorough. If you have diabetes, suspect you have hearing problems or would just like the reassurance that comes with a thorough hearing test, you can book a no-obligation free hearing test with Miracle-Ear, at one of over 1,200 of their hearing centers in North America. And if the test reveals a hearing problem, Miracle-Ear’s hearing care professionals will be able to explain your options, demonstrate the latest high-tech devices and even offer a free trial of hearing technology that best suits your needs.