According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, more than one in every 10 adults suffer from tinnitus -- a regular ringing in the ears. Tinnitus can be painful and can significantly reduce quality of life. Like many health problems, diet and lifestyle factors influence the development severity of tinnitus. Certain vitamins and minerals may play important roles in reducing tinnitus's impact on your life.
Background
While serious, tinnitus is not a disease. Rather, tinnitus is a symptom of another underlying problem, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes. Common causes of tinnitus include age-related hearing loss, Ménière's disease, chronic exposure to loud noise, excess ear wax, and anxiety. As with all medical issues, check with a doctor to see what treatments are right for you. Additionally, you may want to consider adding certain vitamins and minerals to your diet to combat tinnitus.
Vitamin E
VItamin E is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are compounds found in plant foods that fight free radicals -- harmful molecules that destroy healthy cells. Vitamin E can help to protect your inner ear from damage, reducing tinnitus, the book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" states. Natural sources of vitamin E include almonds, wheat germ, cashews and extra virgin olive oil.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is an essential B vitamin that's important for cell division and immunity. According to the April 1993 "American Journal of Otolaryngology," chronic exposure to loud noise can deplete your body's natural stores of vitamin B-12, which can lead to tinnitus. In this study, it was found that nearly half of all adults with loud noise-caused tinnitus had inadequate levels of vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is found in meats and seafood, including beef and shellfish.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that's involved in your body's metabolism. A September 1997 study published in the Japanese medical journal "Nippon Jibiinkoka Gakkai Kaiho" found a connection between low blood zinc levels and tinnitus. Additionally, the researchers discovered that supplementing with zinc helped to improve symptoms in certain research subjects. You can add more zinc to your diet by consuming fortified cereals, chicken, baked beans and dairy regularly.
References
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Tinnitus
- ""American Journal of Otolaryngology"; Vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with chronic-tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss; Z Shemesh et al.; March 1993
- "Nippon Jibiinkoka Gakkai Kaiho"; The serum zinc level in patients with tinnitus and the effect of zinc treatment; September 1997
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