Health
Hearing aid use could help people extend their lives, USC study finds
Wearing hearing aids could increase life span, a new study has found.
Research by the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California found that people who wear hearing aids regularly had a 24% lower risk of mortality.
The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity earlier this month, evaluated the history of nearly 10,000 patients over the age of 20 who received hearing evaluations.
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Researchers looked at data compiled by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012 and followed the mortality status of each adult over an average 10-year period.
Of the 1,863 adults who were identified to have hearing loss, 237 were regular hearing aid users and 1,483 were considered “never users.”
There was no difference in mortality risk for people who wore their hearing aids irregularly, according to the study. (iStock)
The near-quarter difference in mortality rate remained evident between the two groups, regardless of factors like hearing loss severity, age, gender, income and medical history.
People who reported wearing their hearing aids less frequently were considered “non-regular users” in the study.
Between non-regular and never users, there was no difference in mortality risk indicated, which revealed that wearing hearing aids only occasionally may not extend life span.
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Janet Choi, M.D., a Keck Medicine otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor) and lead researcher of the study, reacted to the findings in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
As someone who uses a hearing aid herself, Choi said she found the significant difference in mortality risks “exciting.”
Health factors such as social isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, decreased physical activity and dementia could occur due to hearing loss, the study author said. (iStock)
“It suggests that there may be a potential protective role of hearing aid use against mortality among those who could benefit from hearing aids,” she said.
Next, Choi and her research team plan to investigate the “cause-and-effect relationship between hearing aid use and mortality, as well as other health outcomes and the underlying mechanisms.”
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“I encourage anyone experiencing hearing difficulties to get their hearing tested and determine the type and severity of their hearing loss,” she said.
“You might be surprised at the variety of hearing device options available to assist with hearing loss that can enhance daily communication and quality of life.”
“You might be surprised at the variety of hearing device options available to assist with hearing loss that can enhance daily communication and quality of life,” the researcher said. (iStock)
The researcher noted that it may take time to find the right hearing aids and get used to them.
“Once you do, you’ll be amazed to hear the sounds that you have been missing,” she said.
While the study did not pinpoint the reason that life span could improve with hearing aid use, Choi suggested there are “several possible mechanisms” that could contribute.
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“One hypothesis is that the use of hearing aids modifies the effect of hearing loss on various health outcomes that contribute to mortality, including social isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, decreased physical activity and dementia,” she said.
“Another potential mechanism is the restoration of auditory input itself, which may impact brain structures.”
Hearing aids could “improve communication and adherence in medical settings,” the researcher said. (iStock)
Hearing aids may also “improve communication and adherence in medical settings,” Choi added.
People who use hearing aids regularly are also likely to be more health conscious and have a “higher level of access to health care,” according to the doctor.
Kamal Wagle, M.D., a geriatrician at Hackensack University Medical Group in New Jersey, who was not involved in the study, reiterated the importance of the findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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The research highlighted how hearing loss is associated with other aging-related health issues, the doctor said, like social isolation, depression, dementia, falls and overall frailty.
“This is really good to know,” he said. “For me, as a clinician, it has a lot of implications – and I can bring it up with patients, so we can engage them in correcting hearing aids, so we can improve their quality of life.”
Hearing aid use could improve social interactions, a geriatrician told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
This study could help encourage more widespread hearing aid use, he noted, which could lead to improved social interactions, mood and “overall quality of life.”
This increase in social and physical engagement could then be a factor in living longer, Wagle suggested.
The doctor also noted that a “good number” of his aging patients are “not really engaged” in correcting their hearing, especially since the cost of hearing aids can be a deterrent.
“I think a study like this will probably also help move the momentum of insurance coverage for hearing aids,” Wagle added.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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