Hearing loss caused by free radicals?

Although health news in the media and the press are predominantly medically-oriented, I occasionally run across an article of interest from a natural health perspective.

So an article in the August 22, 2015, Wall Street Journal about a drug trial to reduce hearing loss caught my attention. According to the article, “researchers believe excessive noise causes the body to produce large numbers of highly reactive molecules (free radicals) that can harm tissues such as the hair cells of the inner ear.” The proposed drug is an antioxidant (d-methionine).

Of course, antioxidants neutralize free radicals, so if free radicals are a cause of hearing loss, then an antioxidant should be effective.

But why do we need a drug with all its side-effects? There are many natural antioxidants already available on the market, and they have no side effects!

Do free radicals cause hearing loss? This is the first I’ve heard that proposed, but it certainly is plausible. Free radicals are believed to be a major cause of aging, and hearing loss is typically associated with aging. So there’s one more reason to take an effective antioxidant.

I take several antioxidants, but I consider the best to be Microhydrin Plus™ from RBC Life. 

Free radicals are created constantly within the body. And free radicals are highly reactive, looking for a site to capture an electron from another molecule. So when a free radical is created the most effective protection is to have an antioxidant nearby to provide that electron.

The antioxidant should be both water soluble and fat soluble. And the antioxidant should not become a free radical itself when it gives up an electron. Microhydrin Plus™ meets those specs. I take it at least twice a day to be sure it is available when a free radical appears.