Chronic Ear Infections Increase Risk Of Obesity
There are actually 2 risk factors: chronic middle ear infections and tonsillectomies in childhood.
That’s because ear infections and tonsillectomies can cause damage to taste nerves which appears to affect eating habits.
According to scientific studies, here’s what happens:
Even though otitis media, or chronic middle ear infection, usually occurs during childhood, you can have localized taste damage which then causes an increased preference for high-fat foods.
That raises your risk of being overweight as a child and as an adult.
According to one study of almost 6600 people, a history of moderate to severe otitis media increased the risk of obesity by 62%.
Other studies have found that:
• Middle-aged women with taste nerve damage preferred more fatty and sweet foods and usually had larger waists…
• Preschoolers who suffered repeated severe ear infections ate more sweets, fewer vegetables, and were more likely to be overweight…
• Toddlers whose ear infections were treated with tubes had a higher body mass index (BMI) than those who weren’t treated with tubes…
Another link was found between tonsillectomies, eating habits, and a higher likelihood of being overweight. The reason may be that tonsillectomies were a common treatment for chronic ear infections during the 1960s when the tonsillectomy survey was taken.
Here are the results:
• Children between 6 and 17 years old who had their tonsils removed were more likely to be overweight…
• Teenage girls who had tonsillectomies had a 30% increased risk of being overweight…
Getting ear infections under control before they cause damage to taste nerves could be one more way to combat the obesity epidemic for children and adults.
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