Health
Ear infections in young children could lead to delayed speech for them, study finds
Chronic ear infections could delay a child’s language development, new research suggests.
University of Florida researchers launched a study about how the common childhood infection could impact speech.
Early ear infections (otitis media) have the potential to impair hearing due to fluid buildup behind the eardrum, according to the study, which was published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology in November 2023.
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Researchers investigated the auditory processing and language development of 117 kids between 5 and 10 years of age, including those with and without a history of chronic ear infections.
Children who experienced several ear infections before turning 3 had a smaller vocabulary and found it difficult to match similar-sounding words.
Early ear infections could lead to a later delay in speech, according to a study from the University of Florida. (iStock)
These children also had a hard time detecting changes in sound, which could signify a problem in the brain’s auditory processing center.
Study co-author and UF professor Susan Nittrouer, PhD, discussed the findings in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“For most children, language development appears to unfold so effortlessly that it is easy for us to lose sight of what a remarkable feat this is,” she said.
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“And ear infections are so common among infants and toddlers that it is easy to view them as completely benign,” she added.
The study uncovered “two somewhat novel findings,” Nittrouer noted.
It’s important for guardians to pay attention to their children’s ear infection history, said the study’s lead researcher (not pictured). (iStock)
The first finding is the association of ear infections with poorer abilities to recognize patterns in the acoustic signals present in speech.
“The central auditory pathways develop after birth,” the researcher said.
“If enough auditory input is not available to the child – which happens with temporary periods of hearing loss due to ear infections – that development of auditory pathways is delayed and these listening abilities do not develop properly.”
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The second finding implied that this poor recognition of acoustic patterns impairs the ability of children to identify specific speech sounds, including elements like syllables.
“As they get older, the language they encounter, especially in school, becomes more complex and more dependent on that level of language structure.”
“This is a critical finding,” Nittrouer said. “During early periods of language acquisition, children do not have or need keen sensitivity to phonological structure – individual speech sounds.”
She added, “But as they get older, the language they encounter, especially in school, becomes more complex and more dependent on that level of language structure and the child’s ability to accurately and quickly recognize the individual speech sounds in words.”
One of the study’s “critical findings” was that ear infections can cause poor identification of speech sounds, the lead researcher said. (iStock)
This means that children who are delayed and challenged in their language development will “experience stronger challenges” as they get older, Nittrouer said.
“Contrary to the idea that the child will ‘get over’ or ‘outgrow’ the effects of early [ear infections], these effects may actually intensify,” she said.
“We must take every ear infection seriously.”
Nittrouer encouraged parents and caregivers to monitor children for “language-learning, academic and attentional difficulties,” including reading disabilities, as they age.
“It also means that we must take every ear infection seriously,” she added.
Other early health histories can delay a child’s speech as well, Nittrouer said — which means kids should be monitored for language development “well past the early school years.”
She also said that “the problems arising from such conditions may only present themselves as the language demands of school increase.”
Ear infections can delay the development of auditory pathways in early childhood, the study found. (iStock)
Cedars Sinai Guerin Children’s pediatric otolaryngologist Abhita Reddy, M.D., who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital she feels that in her view, the research is “under-powered.”
“The experiment had very few subjects studied and yet drew a broad conclusion from them,” the Los Angeles-based doctor said via email. “When a study has such few subjects in their experiment, often the conclusions can be easily skewed by confounding variables.”
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Reddy also pointed out that the chosen population of patients studied was “concerning,” as the study looked at children who reportedly did not have many ear infections as defined by parents.
“[This] can introduce a lot of concern regarding the type of otitis media the child had, as there are two types – acute otitis media and chronic otitis media with effusion – that can have very different effects on patients’ language development,” she said.
The effects of early ear infections could “intensify” as a child grows up, according to the researchers’ findings. (iStock)
The definition of patients who had experienced ear infections was “even more concerning,” Reddy said, since the authors apparently studied patients who had never received ear tubes.
“They did not mention whether the patient had ear tubes during the time of [the] experiment, how many sets they had or what the indications for their ear tubes were,” she said.
The specialist said that in her opinion, parents shouldn’t draw conclusions from this study and she does not believe the research will impact the future of ENT care.
“We know that recurrent acute otitis media in certain patients can be caused by eustachian tube dysfunction (a tube in our bodies that connects the middle ear space to the back of the nose) … [which], if not treated early, can lead to lifelong issues with hearing in the form of conductive hearing loss (ability for sound to transmit to the hearing nerve),” Reddy added.
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Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
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The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
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“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
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“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
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Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
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For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
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Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
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More than three million people travel to undergo cosmetic surgery each year, statistics show — but the potential savings come at a cost.
Most people opting to pursue this so-called “medical tourism” are chasing budget-friendly price tags.
International surgeries, such as hair transplants in Turkey, can cost as little as $4,000 to $5,000 compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in the U.S., but often come with extreme risks, according to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Sheila Nazarian of California.
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The doctor recently joined Lisa Brady on the “The FOX News Rundown” podcast to discuss the rising trend of medical tourism. One of the biggest risks, she said, is the lack of safety regulations in popular destinations like Mexico and Turkey.
As demand spikes in these medical tourism “mills,” there have been reports of non-medically trained staff performing procedures like hair transplants.
Most people opting to pursue “medical tourism” are chasing budget-friendly price tags. (iStock)
“I’ve heard that they [international clinics] are even recruiting people who maybe were taxi drivers and then putting them through their own training program … to become hair transplant technicians,” Nazarian said. “That’s how high the demand has become.”
In the U.S., medical school graduates are granted a “physician and surgeon” license, which means doctors — including pediatricians or OB-GYNs — can legally perform cosmetic surgeries, even if they didn’t receive specialized training for those procedures during residency, Nazarian noted.
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Instead of pinching pennies, the doctor recommended paying whatever amount is necessary to ensure quality treatment.
“People think of it as, you know, going to the mall. … It’s surgery, and surgery has risks,” she said. “You need to be with someone who not only can perform a beautiful surgery, but who can handle possible complications well.”
“You need to ask them: ‘What was your residency training in? And if you wanted to, would you be allowed to do this procedure in a hospital?’”
Aftercare is another critical factor in the success and safety of a cosmetic procedure, as the doctor emphasized that 20% of a surgical result depends on post-operative care.
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This can be difficult or even impossible to manage when a doctor is in a different time zone, she cautioned, or if the clinic disappears shortly after the procedure.
Nazarian also noted the importance of addressing the psychological component of plastic surgery, noting that no procedure will fix underlying unhappiness. The doctor said she uses screening questionnaires to ensure that patients are truly seeking self-improvement rather than a “cure” for deeper issues.
International surgeries, such as hair transplants in Turkey, can cost as little as $4,000 to $5,000 compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in the U.S., but often come with extreme risks. (iStock)
“If you’re not already generally very content with your life, a knife in my hand is not going to bring you there,” Nazarian said.
“The analogy I always give is you don’t want a paisley couch — you want a neutral couch and you can put paisley pillows on it,” she said, noting that a procedure should “make you look normal, God-given, athletic. And then you can change your clothes when the trends come and go.”
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Samuel Golpanian, M.D., a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said he has also seen an increasing number of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures abroad, sometimes with “devastating consequences.”
“The key is being extremely careful before embarking on this journey.”
“I’ve seen a wide range of complications, including infections, poor wound healing, significant scarring and tissue necrosis (skin death),” he told Fox News Digital. “These complications often lead to prolonged pain, ongoing medical problems, and significant additional costs to repair the damage.”
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Golpanian said he’s treated patients who received unsafe or non-medical-grade injectable materials, which can lead to serious long-term health issues.
One surgeon said he’s treated patients who received unsafe or non-medical-grade injectable materials, which can lead to serious long-term health issues. (iStock)
“I’ve also seen damage to underlying structures, asymmetry and results that are extremely difficult — sometimes impossible — to correct.”
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“That said, I’ve also seen some good outcomes, so it’s not all bad,” he noted. “The key is being extremely careful before embarking on this journey.”
Quick tips for safe ‘medical tourism’
Fully vet the surgeon. “Most surgeons will provide information about their education and training, but it’s important not to accept these claims at face value,” Golpanian said. “Verify them directly by contacting the institutions where they trained.”
Ask for references from prior patients. Ideally, it’s best to get references from U.S.-based patients who can speak candidly about both their experience and their results, the surgeonsaid.
Think beyond the cost. Golpanian emphasized the adage “you get what you pay for.” “Cost should take a back seat to experience, training, judgment and proven results,” he advised.
Be cautious about relying on before-and-after photos. These can be selective or even enhanced, Golpanian warned.
Keep aftercare in focus. “Make sure the practice emphasizes comprehensive follow-up care and has a clear, realistic post-operative plan in place.”
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