Being overweight and also addicted to smoking can lead to deafness, a new study has found. Erik Fransen, from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, who led the study, said there is a link between how much somebody smokes, and for how long, and their chances of suffering from hearing loss.

The researchers studied a total of 4,083 men and women between the ages of 53 and 67 from across seven European countries, including Germany, Belgium and the UK. The more a person smoked or the higher their body mass index (BMI), the more likely they were to lose all or part of their hearing. BMI is the measure of weight in comparison to height,

The researchers however did not rule out the exposure to noise in the workplace, which they said was by far the most significant factor contributing to deafness. Fransen also added that there a linear association of higher BMIs and smoking.

Experts believe that smoking and excess weight can decrease the flow of oxygen to the ear, which can cause damage. The effect of smoking in obese people worsens after one year of regular smoking and once the hearing loss beings then the damage is irreparable.

This study was conducted jointly between the University of Paris and University College London. It was published in the Journal of the Association for Research into Otolaryngology on Monday.