Chronic ear infections and obesity.

An article in HealthNews cites studies that show that children with chronic ear infections are more likely to suffer from obesity later in their life. These studies suggest excessive ear infections "may damage their nerves, which control their taste buds, leading children to prefer more fatty non-healthy foods and may lead to obesity later in life." But the part that is most disheartening in the article is the fact that current remedies for these repetitive ear infections may carry the same risk of developing obesity. These include installing tubes that drain excessive fluids and removing tonsils to prevent further infections.

This study seems to confirm my own concerns about my seven year old nephew, Mikail, who suffers from the same conditions. Having suffered from recurring severe ear infections, and having undergone tube implants in his ears, he eating habits seem to be consistent with these new studies. Preferring "creamy" organic whole milk over 1%, and savoring every mouthful of food during dinner, our family is constantly cognisant of future implications of this love for food. These studies seem to explain a lot.

It all started around his first brithday when he started suffering from constant severe ear infections. The battle continued between rounds of antibiotics and recurring infections. There were further side-effects from these treatments as well which are not covered in these studies. While the antibiotics were good at fighting off the infections, they were useless in actually draining the fluid in his middle ear, which later solidified and completely impaired his hearing. At his crucial age, the hearing impairment affected his communication development skills severely. In fact, he seemed to have regressed and his inability to understand or speak was extremely frustrating for the family. However, since the tubes were put in his ears and having undergone intense speech therapy he is back within a normal stage of development for his age.

But going back to the studies, I am not quite convinced that ear infections actually cause "damage" to taste nerves. It is more likely that with the drop in hearing during the ear infections at this sensitive developmental stage, the other senses compensate for the deficiency. As such, the centers of the brain that process taste become more sensitive to flavors, just as the blind become much better at hearing. I think preventive measures such as tube placements are simply not done soon enough to prevent the hearing loss during the crucial communication development stage, resulting in hypersensitivity of their taste senses.