Effects of Long-Term Exercise on Age-Related Hearing Loss in Mice.

Nearly two-thirds of adults aged 70 years or older develop significant age-related hearing loss (AHL), a condition that can lead to social isolation and major communication difficulties. AHL is also associated with decreased physical function among older adults. In the current study, we show that regular exercise slowed AHL and cochlear degeneration significantly in a well established murine model. Our data suggest that regular exercise delays the progression of AHL by reducing age-related loss of strial capillaries associated with inflammation.