HEARING AND DIET

From physique and brain power to overall staying prowess, we know what we eat is a linchpin to our health.   You are what you eat.

What most people don’t realize is that our diet has also a say in our hearing.

What You Eat

As reported by the American Academy of Audiology (1), a University of Florida Gainesville research by C. Spankovich and C. G. Le Prell found “a significant relationship between dietary nutrient intake and susceptibility to acquired hearing loss is emerging.” 

A review of literature by Spankovich and Le Prell indicates (2):

• ·        Vitamin A increased dietary intake were associated with decreased prevalence of hearing impairment in older individuals
• ·        Vitamin B Folic Acid slowed progression of age-related hearing loss at low frequencies
• ·        There is a positive relationship between Vitamin C intake and hearing sensitivity
• ·        Increased intake of vitamin E has been linked to better hearing in a cross-sectional analysis
• ·        Cross-sectional data suggests a positive relationship between Magnesium intake and hearing sensitivity.

It must be pointed out that there are other studies which failed to detect a statistically significant relationship for the above findings.  In addition, other analyses suggest beneficial effects are higher for adults 60 years and older.

Diametrically opposite to vitamins and minerals, higher carbohydrate intake, fat intake, and cholesterol intake are correlated with negative hearing outcomes.  A number of studies concluded “there is an increased risk for hearing loss in adults with higher glycemic index (an index of carbohydrate quality) and glycemic load (an index of both quality and quantity), as well as higher total carbohydrate intake.”

Participants in the Spankovich and Le Prell cross-sectional analyses (2), whose diets were aligned with US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, had better hearing at higher frequencies (3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz) – see  2015-2020 Dietary Guidelinesfor Americans.  This site with the moniker My Plate has food and beverage selection tips that reflect one’s personal preferences, values, traditions, culture, and budget. Parameters incorporated are age, gender, height and current weight.   

The info in My Plate is nothing new except an emphasis on variation of proteins and vegetables.  Don’t stick to a few. Eating salmon and blueberries most of the time is dicey.  Each food or beverage item has something to contribute.

Spankovich and Le Prell concluded “healthy eating strategies may benefit patients with respect to preserved higher frequency thresholds, although the correlations presented in the study do not establish causal relationships.”

The earlier you start on eating healthy the better – at the benefits accrue over time with significant effects realized after a considerable period of consistency in dietary consumption.  This means better hearing inspite of aging.

How Much You Eat

But it is not just what we eat that counts; it is also how much we ingest (3).

Several investigations show with age; our bodies produce more free radicals leading to aging.   Free radicals are suspected to play a role in age-associated decline of our delicate hearing mechanism. Most adults register some degree of hearing loss after 60 years or more.

A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison associated the amount of food we eat and our lifespan. Researchers found an enzyme called Sirt3 produced by the body has a strong mechanistic link mitigating the aging effect of free radicals.  If we eat less than our “normal” daily volume of calories, the body increases its levels of Sirt3 that combat free radical damage.

Eating less mean most likely more Sirt3 enzymes, slowing aging.  

Consequently, eating less might mean you’ll hear better - longer.

Why You Eat

Ultimately what matters is why we eat.   

Do we eat to survive?   

To enjoy the “small” pleasures of life?   

Or to be healthy?   

If health matters most - including being able to hear as we grow older - we will look at what is on our plate with more planning from the mind, rather than our taste buds.

Which leads us to another question - does the sense of hearing affect our taste?  Stay tuned!

Advisory

Check with your physician and nutritionist before adding any supplements or customizing your diet.

If you think you may have hearing loss, have a full hearing evaluation from a hearing healthcare professional.

Creative Publicity and a Cup of Tea

An all-expense paid trip!  A book character named after you!  These were the prizes WestBow Press gave to the reader who most successfully promoted the newest installment of their Women of Faith fiction series.  Details and publicity suggestions to help readers promote Alaska Twilight, a suspense novel by Colleen Coble, were made available at the author’s web site (www.colleencoble.com). 

Creative?  In book publishing, yes—but in the television business, it is a well-known strategy. Coble´s publicist adapted another medium´s campaign. Instead of a TV appearance, she offered volunteer publicists a novelty: the opportunity to appear as a character in a Christian novel.

Creative publicity strategies are approaches that differ from or add a new twist to popular or traditional promotional campaigns. You can come up with new ways to publicize your books too. You do not have to inherit a bent for creativity.  If you think you are not the creative type, perhaps the following steps can help.

Would you like a cup of tea?

Some say creativity is completely spontaneous, with no rules or guidelines. Others say it is a matter of focus. I say creativity is like the process of brewing tea.

      White, Green, Oolong or Black?

What tea do you prefer to drink? Why? There are lists that rank the oxidation of tea leaves from zero to maximum. Your criteria for choosing tea might be different, but the key is: do you know what you like about that tea? Do you know your book?  Have you explored the pages to catch topics or themes that may be used as marketing tools?  Little details lead to big ideas. What angles can you explore in your product?  

      Steeping

Good tea undergoes steeping. Creativity requires a period of incubation.  Let the quest for ideas brew in your mind.  You do not have to think about your creative issue 24/7. In fact, performing unrelated tasks can help. As you shop, go for a walk, or do other things, be on the lookout for ideas to inform your product marketing.  Jot down your thoughts.

Expect periods of mental blankness.  Do not be frustrated.  In due time, there will be a creative flash or a gradual insight.

      Straining

Bear this in mind, the mesh of deadlines, budget, marketing goals and cultural norms has a way of reshaping and reforming creativity to make your ruminations more pragmatic and successful.  Welcome them!

      Blending Additives

Lemon, sugar, milk, honey, herbs, fruit jams or tapioca?  There are no set rules on what you can add to enhance the flavor of your tea. 

Incentive programs bring in customers.  It helps to see what others are doing – radio programs, supermarket handouts, video stores, dry cleaners, or pizza shops.  Look at other cultures and industries. Go into the Web. Creativity begets creativity, and the Web has plenty of examples that you can tailor to your publicity plans.

How about tea and ginger or cinnamon?  Perhaps you can pair up your book with another item; a Bible and a devotional in one package might sell better than just the devotional alone.  

      Serving Tea

It is delightful to behold a tea tray with a variety of finger foods: scones, sweets or petite sandwiches.  In book publicity, you do not need just one big idea.  You can have several creative campaigns.  For example, if possible offer a selection of authors on a particular subject.   A book on prayer by one author might appeal to one reader, but not to another.  Each book might require its own creative tweak.

Coffee Please

Not everyone drinks tea.  You will have critics of your creative publicity strategies.  That is the nature of doing something different, not necessarily new.  Do not expect success immediately.  Not all concepts will work.  The C in creativity stands for courage. 

Remember, though, that in the end reading the book is the final incentive.  No matter how creative you are in publicizing the book, in offering ¨talk value¨, it is the ¨reading value¨, which will generate long-term sales.  

Note:

This article was published in the Interlit Magazine on September 2006.  Interlit is an international quarterly print magazine distributed globally to publishers and printing corporations.  Interlit was published by Cook Communications Ministries International based in Colorado Springs, Colorado USA