You go into the kitchen to look for a snack. Will it be something salty… maybe some crackers? Oooo, chips! There’s a leftover slice of cheesecake that would be delicious.
Perhaps you should just opt for a banana on second thought. After all, a banana is a much healthier choice.
Everything is interrelated in the human body. So the fact that what you eat can impact your ears shouldn’t be surprising. If you eat a diet high in sodium, for example, it can elevate your blood pressure and that can escalate your tinnitus symptoms. Current research is indicating that diet can have a direct influence on the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus and your diet
The official journal of the American Auditory Society, called Ear and Hearing, published research that observed the diets of a wide variety of individuals. The data indicates that your diet may increase or diminish your susceptibility to certain inner ear conditions, tinnitus among them. And, based on the research, a deficiency of vitamin B12, in particular, could increase your potential for getting tinnitus.
Vitamin B12 wasn’t the only nutrient that was connected with tinnitus symptoms. Consuming too much calcium, iron, or fat could raise your chances of developing tinnitus as well.
And there’s more. This research also revealed that tinnitus symptoms can also be affected by dietary patterns. Particularly, diets high in protein appeared to decrease the risk of developing tinnitus. Not surprisingly, low-fat diets that were high in fruits, vegetables, and meats also appeared fairly good for your ears.
Does this suggest you should change your diet?
Diet by itself isn’t likely to drastically change your hearing, and in fact, you’d probably have to have a fairly severe deficiency for this to be the cause. Your hearing is much more likely to be impacted by other things, such as exposure to loud noise. But your overall health depends on a healthy diet.
There are some meaningful and practical insights that we can get from this research:
- Safeguarding your ears takes many approaches: As reported by this study, eating a good diet can help lower your vulnerability to tinnitus and other inner ear ailments. But that doesn’t mean the overall risk has gone away. It simply means that your ears are a little more robust. You’ll need a more comprehensive approach if you really want to be protected from the risk of tinnitus. This may mean wearing earmuffs or earplugs to ensure volume levels remain safe.
- Get your hearing tested professionally: If you’re suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus, get your hearing examined. We can help you determine what type and level of hearing loss you’re coping with and how to best treat it.
- Nutrients are important: Your overall hearing health is going to be effected by your diet. Obviously, your hearing will be helped by a healthy diet. But more than that, we can definitely see how malnutrition could cause problems like tinnitus. This can be particularly important to note when people aren’t getting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that they need.
- Quantities vary: Sure, you require a certain amount of vitamin B12 (for example) to keep your hearing healthy. Going below that could increase your susceptibility to tinnitus. But your ears won’t necessarily be healthy simply because you get enough B12. Getting too little or too much of these elements could be damaging to your hearing, so always speak to your doctor about any supplements you consume.
Research is one thing, actual life is another
And, finally, it’s significant to note that, while this research is impressive and fascinating, it isn’t the final word on the topic. In order to validate and improve the scope of these findings, more research will still have to be carried out. How much of this relationship is causal and how much is correlational is still something that needs to be determined, for example.
So we’re not implying that tinnitus can be prevented by a B12 shot alone. It could mean using a multi-faceted approach in order to avoid tinnitus in the first place. One of those facets can certainly be diet. But it’s essential that you take measures to safeguard your hearing and don’t forget about established methods.
We can help, so if you’re suffering from hearing problems, call us.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/symptoms-causes
https://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/Fulltext/2020/03000/Relationship_Between_Diet,_Tinnitus,_and_Hearing.8.aspx
