The Total Hearing Care Difference

Understanding Dementia Risks: Why Hearing Loss Matters — Part 1

• Dr. Jill Copley • Episode 22

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How Does Hearing Loss Plays A Role In Dementia?

Dementia doesn’t appear in a single moment; it builds quietly through years of strain on the brain and the blood vessels that feed it. We unpack how modifiable risks—especially hearing loss, hypertension, obesity, cholesterol, smoking, and traumatic brain injury—set the stage for both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. With a clear, practical lens, we connect the biology of tau and amyloid protein changes to everyday habits that shape blood flow, inflammation, and cognitive reserve.

We start by explaining the two most common forms of dementia and why they overlap in surprising ways. From there, we explore why untreated hearing loss is a top modifiable risk: the brain works harder to decode speech, social life shrinks, and cognitive load rises. Then we dive into vascular health—how high blood pressure, extra weight, and lipid buildup narrow vessels, reduce oxygen delivery, and increase the odds of mini strokes that erode attention, language, and memory. We tackle smoking’s double hit on the brain and cardiovascular system, and we bring clarity to traumatic brain injury, separating mild, isolated concussions from repeated or severe injuries that change brain structure over time.

Throughout, we offer actionable steps: schedule a hearing evaluation, treat hypertension and cholesterol, move more, improve diet quality, quit smoking with proven supports, and get serious about recovery after head impacts. Whether you’re protecting your own cognition or supporting a loved one, these choices build a sturdier foundation for long-term brain health.

Ready to turn insight into action? If you’re in the DFW Metroplex, call 469 809 4487 or visit totalhearingcare dot com to book an appointment. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people protect their hearing and their minds.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
(469) 809-4487

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference, where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the Experts of Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we are here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus, and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01:

Dementia doesn't develop overnight. And today we're breaking down the lifestyle and health factors that can increase long before symptoms appear. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr. Joe Copley. Dr. Copley, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_02:

It's gone very well today. Thank you, Sophia.

SPEAKER_01:

Great. Now it is great to have you back on here. Now let's talk about some of those top risk factors for dementia and how hearing loss plays a role. Take it away.

SPEAKER_02:

So in previous, um, some of the previous podcasts I've done, we've talked about how hearing loss, hearing loss is the number one risk factor for developing dementia. But um according to the Lancet study, which is a study that that looks at, it's a committee that looks at all studies across the world, there are 13 other risk factors for dementia. And I thought we could talk about those today. Um, but as a preface, I want to explain the kinds of dementia that we're going to talk about because there are many types of dementia. And the ones specific to these risk factors are going to be um Alzheimer's that everybody kind of knows about, and then vascular dementia. And vascular dementia is where the blood vessels um get hardened or they don't have enough blood flow through them, and so they can get uh clogged or um can burst, and that has to do with uh usually a stroke or a mini stroke. And so those are the two types of dementias that um I'll be talking about as far as these risk factors go. One of the things that I'll be mentioning are the proteins that have to do with Alzheimer's. So um tau proteins and amyloid plaque proteins are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. And so some of these risk factors will contribute or may contribute. Um, there the studies are showing that they may contribute to developing those proteins in the brain, um, which again will look like uh Alzheimer's or turn into Alzheimer's.

SPEAKER_01:

Now let's start off here by talking about hypertension and obesity, since these are such widespread issues. How do they influence brain health and dementia risk?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh um, these are great questions because um obesity and high blood pressure often go together. Um, when you are obese, it is hard for your blood, it's harder for your blood to flow through all your blood vessels, and it can often cause um more pressure, which causes hypertension, which is high blood pressure. And so to push um that blood through your vascular system, through your blood cells, becomes harder and harder. In addition, um, I will mention high cholesterol because high cholesterol, what that does is it um builds up proteins and um plaques and you know, and kind of other stuff in your blood vessels, and it makes it harder for blood to go through those blood vessels. And when you have obesity, you tend um, or common obesity anyway, you tend to not be eating very well. And you might be eating fatty foods that contribute to high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And so what can happen are a few things. You can have inflammation, the the body um is just responding with its immune system, its hormones, and it's causing inflammation. That means the cells are not working like they should, and that can affect the brain, but you also are at higher risk for stroke. And if you recall, I was talking about vascular dementia. Um, and so you are at higher risk for stroke and many strokes, which can affect how your brain is cognitively responding to speech and other things in your environment.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. Well, thank you for sharing that with us. Now let's go into another risk factor. Smoking. I know that came up as another big risk factor. What does that do to the brain over time? And is it also linked to some of those other issues?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, it sure is. So, as we all know, smoking can be related to so many issues. Um, what it's doing is um the way I think of it is it's like a poison in your cells. And so your cells are responding a certain way, they're dying, they may be reacting um in a way they're not supposed to. And again, these can cause um those plaques I was talking about to build up in the brain, um, which is the hallmark of Alzheimer's, but it can also affect your blood vessels. So it can um raise your blood pressure, it can make it harder for um it actually makes the blood blood vessels a little smaller, so it's harder to push um the blood through those vessels, which increases your blood pressure, which increases your risk for stroke and many strokes. So there are vascular changes as well as brain changes that occur with smoking.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. Now, when it comes to traumatic brain injuries, what should patients know about long-term cognitive impact?

SPEAKER_02:

So there's a few things about traumatic brain injury that are good to know. Um, the first one is the research um shows that uh dementia is more related with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries because some people can have very mild um concussions. We often think of TBI trap traumatic brain injury as having to do with concussions. Um the research shows that mild concussion doesn't typically cause these brain changes that we're looking at. However, moderate to severe brain injury, especially if it happens a lot. So, for instance, um football and other sports can cause a lot of concussions over time and a lot of brain injuries over time. They are finding that there's actually brain changes. You can also have those plaques build up. Um the body responds in that way to look at Alzheimer's. Um I read one study that it was looking at athletes. So it actually looked at um athletes' brains after an autopsy. And they had, I believe, 122 football players, and 121 of them had brain damage. So um having those concussive uh events. Now, for most of us, it may be more like a an accident, you know, not all of us play football, but I think that just gives an example of what can happen to the brain after repeatedly getting hit in the head. So there's there's several different things, but what they've shown is it's more the moderate to severe and having concussive events over and over again.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, that's some really great information you've given us today, Dr. Copley. Thank you so much for walking us through these very important risk factors. We appreciate your time and we'll see everyone next time.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Thank you, Sophia.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469 809 4487 to book an appointment. Or visit totalhearingcare dot com because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.