Antioxidants and Free Radicals in Hearing Loss

**TL;DR:** Scientists found that harmful molecules called free radicals damage the parts of your ears that help you hear, which is why people lose hearing from loud noises, getting older, or sudden illness. The good news is that antioxidants (special substances that fight free radicals) might help prevent or treat hearing loss, but we need more research to figure out the best ways to use them.

Elevated reactive oxygen species and free radicals appear to contribute to the development of multiple forms of hearing loss, and antioxidant approaches including hydrogen-based therapies show promise as potential preventive and therapeutic strategies.

This review examined research on how reactive oxygen species (unstable molecules that damage cells) contribute to three common types of hearing loss: noise-induced, age-related, and sudden unexplained hearing loss. The authors found evidence that antioxidants—substances that neutralize these damaging molecules—may help prevent or treat hearing loss, and they identified hydrogen-based treatments among the strategies being studied.

While this review identifies hydrogen-saturated saline and inhaled hydrogen gas as antioxidant approaches being studied for hearing loss, the authors emphasize that definitive conclusions cannot yet be drawn. The evidence is still preliminary, and rigorous clinical trials in humans are needed before any hearing loss treatment can be recommended. This is a literature review rather than a new study with human participants.

Objective: Although the etiologies and pathogenesis of common hearing disorders-noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), age-related hearing loss (ARHL), and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL)-are diverse, accumulating evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute…

Read the full abstract on PubMed