Your diet plays a big role in your physical and mental wellness. But did you know that it can also affect your hearing health?
Some people believe caffeine consumption, in particular, can harm your health. But don’t rule out your daily latte habit just yet—when it comes to its effect on your hearing, the research is inconclusive.
Caffeine restricts blood vessels and alters blood pressure. Since good blood flow is essential for ear health, researchers wondered if there was a link between caffeine intake and hearing loss. However, a large observational study published in 2018 found no connection—it actually found that coffee drinkers had lower hearing loss rates than nondrinkers.
Temporary threshold shift (TTS) describes when the sensory hair cells within the inner ear are fatigued due to exposure to loud noise. In most cases, temporary hearing loss caused by noise exposure lasts only a couple of days. However, caffeine may lengthen the time it takes to recover from this condition, one 2016 study on guinea pigs suggests.
Another study on lab rats, published in 2019, indicates that caffeine intake may be detrimental to the hearing of people in treatment for cancer. Specifically, it can have a negative effect when combined with cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. This phenomenon is known as cisplatin-induced hearing loss.
When it comes to caffeine intake and tinnitus, some anecdotal evidence suggests that cutting out caffeine can help reduce tinnitus. However, this is not supported by studies. One study from 2014 found lower rates of tinnitus among coffee drinkers, and another study from 2009 indicated abstaining from caffeine can cause distress and worsen tinnitus.
While some studies clearly show that caffeine can impact hearing issues, it’s important to know that aging and noise exposure are much more likely to cause hearing loss. The condition is common in older people: One in three people aged 65–74 and one in two people aged 75 and over has hearing loss. And exposure to a one-time loud noise (such as a gunshot) or loud noises over time (such as working at a noisy job) can also lead to hearing troubles.
Whether you want to experiment with removing caffeine from your diet or not, our team is here to help get to the root of your hearing concerns with state-of-the-art diagnostics and compassionate treatment strategies.
If you’re concerned you or someone you care about may have a hearing loss, call Precision Hearing at 352-765-8008 today to schedule an appointment.