Oxidative stress is the name for the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body; with too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants, the excess free radicals will start to harm your body’s cells and tissues.

While there are no clear symptoms or warning signs for oxidative stress, your body will feel the effects once the stress causes substantial damage. This is unique for every person who deals with oxidative stress, so it’s recommended to eat food rich in antioxidants to reduce your risk.

Oxidative stress has shown to affect your chances of various health conditions, including kidney disease, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and hearing loss challenges, as the free radicals contribute to neuron loss, chronic inflammation, and a buildup of plaque in your arteries.

But how is a condition linked to your cells connected to your ears? You’d be surprised to find out that hearing loss isn’t just caused by listening to loud music—medication side effects, earwax buildup, and chronic ear infections can all cause hearing loss.

Oxidative stress has shown to affect your health in various ways, including your hearing health, but with the help of professional hearing care, you can optimize your hearing and your health all at once.

How Is Oxidative Stress Linked to Hearing Loss?

A study from July 2024 sought to find the connection between hearing loss and oxidative stress, and found that oxidative stress is associated with several forms of hearing loss, including presbycusis:

“The cochlea’s unique anatomical and physiological characteristics, such as high metabolic activity and limited blood supply, make it particularly susceptible to oxidative damage.”

The study also found that antioxidant therapies can help address oxidative stress in your auditory system, emphasizing the need for more research about different causes of hearing loss and oxidative stress.

Professional hearing care allows you to enhance your hearing and your holistic health simultaneously, no matter what caused your hearing loss challenges. Whether that’s through antioxidant therapy to address oxidative stress concerns or hearing care to address hearing loss, both can be integral to improving your hearing health and overall body health.

Concerned About Your Hearing?

If you’re concerned about your hearing or that of a loved one, we’re happy to help you with these worries so that you can get back to hearing the life you love.

For concerns about oxidative stress, we’re happy to help you navigate finding the best medical professional to help provide relief; you can rest assured that we can put you in contact with some of the best healthcare providers in the area, as we’re all in contact to help each other out.

Please feel free to contact us to schedule an appointment with an audiologist and get started with professional hearing care today.

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Lance Nelson, AuD, CCC-A

Dr. Lance Nelson graduated with his AuD from Purdue University in 2010. He worked at Spokane ENT Associates, Lafayette ENT Associates, and at the Lafayette Otolaryngology Associates. Dr. Nelson is experienced in working with infants, children, and adults is Board Certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the California Academy of Audiology. His research on Digital Noise Reduction was published in 2009. He is fluent in Spanish. His hobbies are ocean sports, running, and music.