British researchers have shown that people who wear hearing aids due to age-related hearing impairment can also experience better cognitive functioning.
This study of 2019 concerned more than 25,000 people aged 50 and over, some of which wore hearing aids. All participants then passed annual cognitive tests over a two-year period.
Participants with hearing aids recorded best results short-term memory tests and attention tests.
For example, for one of the attention tests, participants with hearing aids had a faster reaction time. Scientists explain that this result reflects their concentration. Among daily examples of concentration, we note “look carefully at an object of great interest” or “listen carefully to someone speaking“.
–
A protective effect against the risks of senile dementia
The researchers note that their results offer early evidence of lprotective effect against senile dementia of these devices. They clarified that previous research from the “Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care“had shown that hearing loss was a risk factor important of dementia.
“Previous studies have shown that hearing loss is linked to loss of brain function, memory and an increased risk of dementia. Our work is among the largest studies on the impact of hearing aids and suggests that their wearing could indeed protect the brain. We now need to continue our research and launch a clinical test to test this …“noted study author Dr. Anne Corbett of the University of Exeter.
“We know we could reduce the risk of dementia by a third if we took everything in our fifties, ” explained Professor Clive Ballard.
“This study is part of a body of important work showing what keeps a brain healthy. These are early results and more research is needed but has great potential. If you are advised to wear a hearing aid , find the one that works for you. At a minimum, it will improve your hearing and could also help keep your mind sharp“, he added.
–
–
