DUBLIN, Ireland -- A pint of Guinness a day can help prevent people from going Deaf, scientists believe.
The Black Stuff contains high levels of iron, which experts believe helps to ward off hearing loss.
Leafy green vegetables, brown rice and some types of meat are also thought to be of benefit, according to a major new study.
An examination of more than 300,000 people found a link between iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and hearing loss.
Pennsylvania State University researchers found a lack of the mineral can cause sensorinerual hearing loss, or damage to the cochlea or nerve pathways.
Study author Kathleen Schieffer said: “An association exists between IDA in adults and hearing loss.
“The next steps are to better understand this correlation and whether promptly diagnosing and treating IDA may positively affect the overall health status of adults with hearing loss.”
A further analysis confirmed the increased odds of both forms of hearing loss among patients with IDA, the study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery found.
Iron deficiency anaemia is a condition where a lack of iron in the body leads to a reduction in the number of red blood cells.
It is believed to be very common, especially among women.
Guinness was famously marketed as a healthy pint in the 1920s under the slogan, ‘Guinness is good for you’.
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In England, post operative patients used to be given a pint because of its high iron content.
In addition, it may also work as a low dose of aspirin to prevent heart attacks.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin made the discovery earlier this year.
The Wisconsin scientists gave Guinness to dogs who had narrowed arteries.
They found the Guinness worked as well as aspirin in preventing clots forming.
The researchers told a convention of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, that a pint of Guinness taken at meal time had the best impact.
It is believed antioxidant compounds in the drink, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.
SOURCE - The Irish Sun
