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Red Wine May Combat Deafness
Posted by perle0 on 2006-05-15 01:22:14
(9585 views) 
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[News]
[USA] |
 According to New Scientist, antioxidant compounds found in red wine, green tea, or aspirin may delay the onset of age-related deafness and hearing loss caused by loud noise and some powerful antibiotics. The delicate hairs in the ear can be damaged by oxygen free radicals, so in theory at least, antioxidants should protect against this oxidative damage. Researchers have already found that patients given aspirin with an antibiotic to prevent ear infection caused less damage to hearing than those treated with the antibiotic plus a placebo.
So, if you're heading to a loud concert, be sure to enjoy a glass of wine or two beforehand or during. Your ears may thank you. |
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Antioxidants such as resveratrol, which is found in red wine and green tea, or salicylate, the active ingredient of aspirin, help to neutralize these free radicals, so might be expected to protect against some of this damage.
To test whether this was the case, scientists in the United States used salicylate to prevent damage to hair cells in patients' ears caused by the strong antibiotic, gentamicin.
Hearing loss affected just 3 per cent of patients who were given gentamicin plus aspirin for acute ear infections, compared with 13 per cent treated with the antibiotic plus a non-active placebo.
Dr Jochen Schacht, of the University of Michigan Medical School, said: "That's a 75 percent reduction in toxicity to the ear."
The evidence suggested that a similar effect could be achieved by including more antioxidant-rich foods in the diet, he added. "I wouldn't say it is proof for antioxidants, the jury's still out on that. But it certainly can't hurt to increase the amount of green vegetables, red wine, or green tea that you consume."
Hmm, broccoli or wine...that's a tough call. |
Details on New Scientist (subscription required), and here. |
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