Hearing loss has always been considered an inevitable part of ageing, but a new study indicates that a healthy lifestyle can be beneficial for conserving hearing into old age.

    The study, published in the Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, found that smoking and being overweight were risk factors in the most common type of hearing loss. It also found that moderate alcohol intake – at least one glass a week – appears to have a protective effect.

    The study, conducted by a research team at the University of Antwerp, involved nine audiological centres in seven countries: 4,083 people aged 53-67 took part. Participants were asked about their exposure to potential environmental risk factors and their medical history. Their hearing was also tested. The data were analysed for associations between potential risk factors and hearing loss.

    In addition, the research confirms that exposure to excessive noise is the main avoidable cause of permanent hearing loss.

    一般認為，人到老年，聽力必然要下降。但一項新研究發現，健康的生活方式可能有益于老年人保持聽力。

    《耳鼻喉科學研究協會期刊》(JARO)上發表的一項研究結果顯示，吸煙和肥胖是導致一種最常見耳聾疾病的風險因素。該研究還發現，適量飲酒——每周至少一杯——對聽力似乎有保護作用。

    安特衛普大學(University of Antwerp)的一個研究小組在7個國家的9個聽力學中心進行的這項研究，共有4083名年齡在53-67歲之間的老年人參與。研究人員向參與者詢問了他們暴露在各種潛在環境風險因素的情況，以及他們的病史。研究人員還測試了他們的聽力，然后根據數據，對潛在風險因素與聽力下降的關系進行分析。

    此外，該研究證實，在可能引起永久性失聰的各項因素中，暴露于過大的噪聲是主要可避免因素。