How the Dietary Nitrates of the Beets Can Support the Vascular Health of the Ear

In the last years, many persons have begun to ask a question that before was reserved only to the specialists: is it possible, with the alimentation, to protect also the hearing? The answer, according to the research on the microcirculation, is more interesting of what one could imagine. And the beets, that humble root of intense violet colour, find themselves at the centre of this conversation for a very precise reason: their content of natural nitrates.

This article does not want to substitute the counsel of the physician. It wants, rather, to offer a clear and honest reading of how these substances work, what happens in the ear, and what one can do in practical terms at the table.

Why the Microcirculation of the Ear Deserves Our Attention

The inner ear is not a large organ. It is small, delicate, and nourished by vessels so thin that a human hair is thick in comparison. The cochlea, which is the part that transforms the sound vibrations in nervous signals, receives the blood from the labyrinthine artery. This artery has one characteristic that makes it fragile: it is, in the majority of the persons, a terminal vessel. This means that it does not have a valid alternative path. If the flow is reduced, even for a little, the cells that should receive the oxygen suffer.

One must understand a thing: the problem is not always a dramatic obstruction. Often it is a slow reduction of the elasticity of the small vessels, a progressive stiffening that limits how much blood arrives to the hair cells. These cells, when they are not sufficiently nourished, do not regenerate. The damage, after a certain point, becomes stable.

For this reason, the attention of the researchers has moved toward the natural mechanisms that maintain the vessels dilated and the flow constant. And here arrive the nitrates.

The Path of the Nitrates: From the Plate to the Blood Vessels

When one eats a beet, or drinks its juice, the nitrates that are contained in the vegetable do not go directly to the ear. They make a longer path, but a very logical one.

The process can be summarised in this manner:

• In the mouth, the bacteria of the tongue transform a part of the nitrates in nitrites. This is the reason for which the researchers say that one should not use an antiseptic mouthwash immediately after the meal: it eliminates the bacteria that are necessary to this first passage.
• In the stomach, the nitrites are absorbed and pass into the blood.
• In the tissues, and in particular in the zones where the oxygen is less abundant, the nitrites are converted in nitric oxide.
• The nitric oxide is the molecule that communicates to the smooth muscle of the vessel walls: “relax, open yourself a little more.”

The result is a vasodilatation. Not a violent one, not a sudden drop of pressure. A gentle, progressive opening that permits to the blood to flow with less resistance. This effect has been observed in the studies on the systemic circulation, and the researchers are now looking at what happens in the districts where the vessels are extremely small, like the ear.

What Happens in the Small Vessels of the Cochlea

Here is the point that interests the most. The nitric oxide does not choose a single organ. It acts where the conditions are right, and the tissues with a high metabolic demand are among the first to benefit of a better flow. The cochlea, with its continuous work of transduction of the sounds, is exactly this type of tissue.

The observations that have been made in the last decade suggest various effects:

• A better supply of oxygen to the hair cells, that are the most metabolically active elements of the inner ear.
• A reduction of the oxidative stress at the level of the vessel walls, because the nitric oxide also limits the adhesion of the inflammatory molecules.
• A minor tendency to the micro-spasm, that is to those small, temporary contractions that reduce the flow for some seconds or minutes.

One must be honest: we are not in presence of a cure. The beets do not repair a hearing that is already compromised. What they can do is to participate in the maintenance of the conditions that permit to the vascular network of the ear to work as it should. It is a work of prevention and of support, not of restoration.

How to Introduce the Beets in the Daily Alimentation

For who wants to try this approach, the indications are simple and do not require particular efforts.

Some practical counsels:

• The cooking at steam preserves more nitrates than the boiling in abundant water, because the nitrates are soluble and pass into the cooking water.
• If one drinks the juice, it is better to let it rest in the mouth for some seconds before swallowing, to permit the action of the oral bacteria.
• The association with foods rich in vitamin C, like a squeeze of lemon, helps the conversion of the nitrites in nitric oxide.
• The effect on the vessels begins after approximately 2-3 hours from the assumption and lasts for various hours. For this reason, a regularity in the consumption is more important than a single large dose.

It is also important to remember that persons who assume medications for the arterial pressure, or who suffer of particular renal conditions, should speak with the own physician before increasing in significant way the consumption of beets or of their juice.

A Complete Approach to the Auditory Wellbeing

The alimentation is one pillar, but not the only one. The health of the ear depends from a combination of factors: the quality of the sleep, the exposition to the loud noises, the management of the stress, and also the availability of specific micronutrients that support the structures of the inner ear.

In this wider picture, some persons choose to associate to the dietary changes a specific supplementation. For example, a product like Acuvit has been formulated with the idea of offering nutrients that work in synergy with the mechanisms of microcirculation and of cellular protection of the auditory apparatus. It is not a substitute of a varied alimentation, but it can represent a complement for who wants to take care of this aspect in a more structured manner.

For who is curious to understand the composition and the rationale behind a product of this type, the information is available at acuvit.health, where one can read the details of the formulation without obligation. The important thing is always the same: to have realistic expectations. No supplement, as no food, can invert a damage that is already established. What one can do is to create the best possible conditions for the ear to function well for as long as possible.

The philosophy is this: the vascular health of the ear is maintained with small, daily attentions, not with a single heroic gesture.

Practical Indications for the Reader

To close this article, I want to leave a brief list of actions that a person can begin already from this week, without revolutionising the own life:

1. Introduce the beet, in any of the forms described, at least three times at the week.
2. Reduce the use of antiseptic mouthwashes immediately before or after the meals.
3. Protect the ears from the prolonged exposition to noises above the 85 decibels.
4. Maintain a good hydration: the viscosity of the blood influences the flow in the microvessels.
5. Walk at least thirty minutes at the day. The general cardiovascular health is inseparable from that of the ear.
6. If one has familiar history of hearing reduction, or notices a change in the perception of the sounds, it is wise to speak with an otorhinolaryngologist. The early controls permit to intervene when the margins are still ample.

The beets will not make a miracle. But they offer, in a simple and accessible form, a molecule that our body already knows and already uses. To give to the body the raw material for producing nitric oxide, in a context of good alimentation and of healthy habits, is a gesture of care. Also toward that small, precious organ that permits us to hear the voice of the persons we love, the music, the rain on the window.

It is not much. But it is something concrete, and it begins at the table.