You’re feeling hungry so you go to your fridge for a little bite to eat. Do you want something salty… maybe some crackers? Oooo, chips! There’s a leftover slice of cheesecake that would be yummy.
On second thought, maybe you should just eat a banana. After all, a banana is a much healthier option.
Everything is interconnected in the human body. So the fact that what you eat can affect your ears shouldn’t come as a surprise. For instance, high sodium intake can increase blood pressure and could make tinnitus symptoms more pronounced. Recent research is suggesting that diet can have a direct impact on the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus and your diet
The official publication of the American Auditory Society, called Ear and Hearing, published a study that observed the diets of a wide variety of individuals. The data shows that what you eat could increase or diminish your susceptibility to specific inner ear conditions, tinnitus among them. And, according to the research, a lack of vitamin B12, particularly, could raise your potential for getting tinnitus.
There were nutrients other than B12 that were connected with tinnitus symptoms. Consuming too much calcium, iron, or fat could raise your risk of getting tinnitus as well.
And there’s more. The researchers also reported that dietary patterns may also trigger tinnitus symptoms. For instance, your risk of developing tinnitus will be decreased by a diet high in protein. Needless to say, low-fat diets that were high in fruits, vegetables, and meats also seemed fairly good for your ears.
So should you make a change to 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 affected by other things, like exposure to loud noise. But your overall health depends on a healthy diet.
This research has uncovered some practical and meaningful insights:
- Safeguarding your ears takes many approaches: According to this research, eating a healthy diet can help reduce your susceptibility to tinnitus and other inner ear ailments. But that doesn’t mean the entire risk has disappeared. It simply means that your ears are a bit more resilient. You’ll need a more extensive approach if you really want to be protected from the risk of tinnitus. This might mean using earmuffs or earplugs to ensure volume levels stay safe.
- Get your hearing tested professionally: Come in and get your hearing checked if you’re experiencing tinnitus or hearing loss. We will help you determine what type and degree of hearing loss you’re dealing with and how to best manage it.
- Nutrients are essential: Your diet will have an impact on your hearing health. Naturally, your hearing will be helped by a balanced diet. But beyond that, we can easily see how malnutrition could lead to problems like tinnitus. This can be especially important to take note of when people aren’t getting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that they need.
- Quantities vary: Certainly, if you want to keep your ears healthy you need a certain amount of B12 in your diet. You will be more susceptible to tinnitus if you go below this level. But your ears won’t necessarily be healthy just because you get enough B12. Always consult your physician about any supplements you use because getting too little or too much of these elements can be unhealthy.
Research is one thing, actual life is another
While this is exciting research, it’s important to note that there’s more to be said on the matter. In order to verify and improve the scope of these conclusions, more research will still have to be carried out. We’re not sure, for instance, how much of this connection is causal or correlational.
So we’re not implying that tinnitus can be eliminated by a B12 shot alone. Keeping that ringing in your ears from surfacing in the first place may mean taking a multi-faceted approach. One of those facets can certainly be diet. But it’s important that you don’t forget about tried and tested strategies, and that you concentrate on protecting your ear health as much as possible.
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
