Sugar and salt cut risk of hearing loss

EXCESSIVE noise is known to raise the risk of hearing loss, but sugar and salt may limit the damage.

U.S. researchers found that after exposure to a loud noise, the tiny hair cells that convert sound to nerve signals die immediately; the inner ear then fills with excess fluid, leading to the death of neurons (nerve cells).

Neuron damage occurs over a few hours, so there’s an opportunity to treat fluid buildup before it leads to irreversible damage, reported the journal PNAS. Mice were injected with salt and sugar-based solutions through the eardrum, three hours after noise exposure. Results showed this prevented 45-64 per cent of neuron loss.