A coffee a day could keep deafness at bay
DRINKING at least one cup of coffee a day could mean men are less likely to lose their hearing, a study claims.
The beverage contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that protect hearing function cells, the research said.
One cup a day was associated with a 15 per cent lower risk of hearing impairment.
It does not matter if the coffee is caffeinated or decaffeinated, filtered or non-filtered.
Scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid found that damage to mitochondria – the energy generators in our body cells – can contribute to degenerative diseases, such as hearing loss.
But antioxidants can have a protective effect on mitochondria.
The team monitored the coffee intake of 36,923 men and women. Their hearing was checked at the start of the study, and again in two follow-ups over 11 years.
The results took into account the potential effects on hearing of other health and lifestyle factors, such as whether they had smoked, or had been exposed to loud music or a noisy workplace. They found that men who drank between one and four cups of coffee a day were less likely to experience hearing loss.
No link between coffee and hearing function was found among women, which the team said could be due to differences in physiology.
The report, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, said: “Coffee consumption might have a beneficial effect on hearing function because of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of some of its compounds.”