Vitamin B complex, or B vitamins, serve various functions such as facilitation of the conversion of food into energy, red blood cell production and growth. B vitamins are derived from dietary sources such as proteins, fish, legumes and eggs, MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, notes. Vitamin B deficiency causes conditions like anemia to occur. According to a study published in a 1999 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," being deficient in vitamin B12 has been associated with ear ringing.
Ear Ringing
Ear ringing, or tinnitus, is a symptom of conditions like age-related hearing loss or ear injury that causes you to hear a ringing sound in your ears, the Mayo Clinic explains. Treating tinnitus involves treating the underlying cause of the ear ringing or masking the noise to make tinnitus less noticeable. Medications generally alleviate the severity of tinnitus symptoms instead of providing a means of curing it. Some examples of medications used in alleviating tinnitus include tricyclic antidepressants and alprazolam. Using hearing protection, lowering the volume of the things you listen to as well as maintaining cardiovascular health are ways to decrease your risk of developing tinnitus.
Subjective Tinnitus and Vitamin B
A study published in a 2008 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery" examined the effect of three types of injection treatments on subjective tinnitus. The study involved 73 participants who had subjective tinnitus and were divided into three groups and given injections of prednisolone, dexamethasone and carbamazepine. In addition, the subjects underwent acupuncture treatments about four to five times during the course of the treatment. All participants took vitamin B1 supplements in addition to their medication. The study determined that the prednisolone group had a 48 percent effective rate, the dexamethasone group's effective rate was about 33 percent, and the carbamazepine group's effective rate was about 44 percent. The participants were tested again 6 months after the treatment, and their effective rates dropped to about 46, 28 and 36 percent, respectively. More research is necessary to determine how vitamin B affects the effective rate of these medications.
Acute Acoustic Trauma and Vitamin B Complex
A study published in a 2001 issue of the "Scandanavian Audiology, Supplementum" examined the efficacy of medication tinnitus caused by acute acoustic trauma. The study involved 72 males suffering from gunshot-inflicted acute acoustic trauma with tinnitus. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups and were given a combination of trimetazidine, prednisolone and vitamin B complex. Groups A and C both received treatment that included vitamin B complex. The study found no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding improvement of tinnitus; however, the study discovered that early treatment helped increase chances of improvement. Determining whether or not B vitamin use helps increase the efficacy of tinnitus medications requires further research.
Chronic Tinnitus and Vitamin B12 Deficiency
The "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" published a study in a 1999 issue that examined the relationship between age-related hearing loss and vitamin B12 and folate deficiency. The study involved 55 healthy women who were between the ages of 60 and 71 years. The study determined that participants who did not include vitamin B12 and folate supplements with their treatment had about 48 percent lower vitamin B12 levels and about 43 percent less folate than women with normal hearing. This suggests a relationship between age-related hearing loss and vitamin B12 and folate deficiency; however, more research is necessary to validate this assertion.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Age-Related Hearing Loss, Vitamin B-12 and Folate in Elderly Women; Denise K. Houston, et al.; March 1999
- "Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery"; A Short Term Study on the Efficacies of Intratympanic Prednisolone and Dexamethasone Injection for Subjective Tinnitus; She W, et al.; October 2008
- Mayo Clinic; Tinnitus; July 2010
- MedlinePlus; B Vitamins; June 2011
- "Scandanavian Audiology, Supplementum"; The Efficacy of Medication on Tinnitus Due to Acute Acoustic Trauma; Markou K, et al.; 2001
