A recent study featured in The Lancet Healthy Longevity suggests that wearing hearing aids can be crucial for those who need them but aren’t using them. Lead researcher Janet Choi, MD, MPH, an otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine, reveals that adults with hearing loss who consistently wear hearing aids lower their mortality risk up to 24% compared with non-users. The research highlights the potential protective role of hearing aids in enhancing overall health and prolonging life, especially considering previous studies indicating that untreated hearing loss can lead to reduced life spans, social isolation, depression, and dementia. The researchers used data anaylzed from almost 10,000 adults 20 years and older who had completed audiometry evaluations, a test used to measure hearing ability, and who filled out questionnaires about their hearing aid use. Over a 10-year follow-up period, researchers found that regular hearing aid users (defined as those wearing aids at least once a week for five hours or more) consistenly showed a 25% lower risk of death, regardless of variables like the severity of hearing loss, age, ethnicity, income, education, or medical history. In contrast, occasional hearing aid users didn’t show any significant life-extending benefits. While the study didn’t delve into the reasons behind this effect, it aligns with recent research linking hearing aid use to reduced levels of depression and dementia. Researchers theorize that the improvements in mental health and cognition that come with improved hearing can promote better overall health, which may improve life span.