Many people don’t start the day without first drinking a cup of coffee. A new study has shown that consuming this popular drink could bring an unexpected—and previously unknown—long-term health benefit for men.
The research, conducted by scientists at the Autonomous University of Madrid, revealed that men who drink coffee may also, unknowingly, be reducing their risk of hearing loss in old age. In addition, the benefit appears to be the same regardless of whether the coffee consumed is caffeinated or decaffeinated, filtered or un filtered.
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As part of the study, the coffee intake of 36,923 middle-aged male and female volunteers was monitored. Their hearing was checked at the beginning of the study and on two other occasions over an 11-year period.
Men who consumed one to 4.5 cups a day of coffee were 15% less likely to lose hearing over time. In women, however, no link was found between coffee and hearing function.
The team of scientists believes that the observed results are due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of coffee. Differences in the physiology of men and women, scientists suggest, would be the reason why females do not enjoy the benefits of coffee in hearing.
Estrogen hormone levels, which are significantly higher in women, protect against age-related hearing loss, so the impact of diet on hearing would be “less relevant,” the researchers note. However, for men, who have lower estrogen levels, the impact of coffee could be more evident.
As part of the research, the potential effects on hearing of other factors related to the health and lifestyle of the volunteers, such as whether they were smokers or worked in a noisy workplace, were taken into account.
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However, Marcos Machado-Fragua, one of the authors of the study, emphasized that coffee “should not be over-consumed” in an attempt to prevent hearing loss, especially for people with health problems related to caffeine consumption