Caffeine: a pick-me-up against tinnitus
All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichCaffeine prevents tinnitus. Several cups of coffee a day reduce the risk of ringing in the ears. This is what researchers from the University of Western Ontario discovered in London, Canada.
Years of survey
The team led by ENT specialist Jordan Glicksman analyzed data from over 65,000 women who had repeatedly answered questions about their health and behavior over many years. Eighteen years after the first survey in 1991, almost 5,300 of the participants had experienced tinnitus. The risk of unpleasant ringing in the ears was 21 percent lower for women who consumed more than 600 mg of caffeine per day than for participants who consumed less than 150 mg per day. 600 mg of caffeine is equivalent to about five cups of coffee. Even smaller amounts of caffeine reduced the risk, but to a lesser extent.
Caffeine has to be included
The experts found no connection between decaffeinated coffee and the risk of tinnitus. This suggests that it is actually caffeine that has a positive impact on human hearing. The exact mechanism is still unclear. It also remains to be seen whether more caffeine will further reduce the risk and whether the pick-me-up will also help against existing tinnitus.
The constant rushing
Humming, beeping, roaring or hissing - tinnitus has many faces. Every fourth person in Germany has ever experienced tinnitus. The triggers are very different: a blast trauma, a circulatory disorder, an otitis media or a tumor are just a few examples.
Usually tinnitus appears suddenly and disappears on its own after a few hours, days or weeks. But for some it remains a constant companion that should be ignored as much as possible. Professional help is sometimes necessary for this. (vv)
Source: Glicksman, JT et al. A prospective study of caffeine intake and risk of incident tinnitus.
American Journal of Medicine. 2014. doi: 10.1016 / j.amjmed.2014.02.033
