Study Ties Intake of Coffee to Lower Incidence of Tinnitus

Higher intake of caffeine in women is linked to lower rates of tinnitus - the buzzing or ringing sound in the ear that people experience in the absence of any sound from an outside source.

Tinnitus is a common problem that affects 1 in every 5 people.  It is not a condition, but a symptom of underlying condition like age-related loss of hearing, ear injury or circulatory system disorder. Although it is not a serious problem, it worsens with age. Symptoms include phantom noises such as ringing, buzzing, roaring, clicking and hissing. When only the person can hear the sounds, it is called subjective tinnitus; and when the doctors can hear the sounds as well during examination, it is objective tinnitus - according to Mayo Clinic.

For millions of Americans kick-starting the day with a cup of coffee is a ritual. It is estimated that Americans drink nearly 400 million cups of coffee a day. Caffeine's jolt does more than just keep you awake. The new study led by researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) found that younger and middle-aged women with higher intake of caffeine had a lower incidence of unexplained ear buzzing.

The finding is based on the analysis of 65,000 women in the Nurses Health Study II. The researchers tracked the self-reported results regarding lifestyle and medical history from these women, aged between 33-44 years. None of them had tinnitus in 1991. Using questionnaire answered in 2009, researchers obtained data on self-reported tinnitus and date of onset, with cases of women reporting symptoms "a few days/weeks" or "daily". They were followed for 18 years and at the end, 5,289 cases were identified.

"We observed a significant inverse association between caffeine intake and the incidence of tinnitus among these women," said Gary Curhan, MD, ScD, senior author of the paper and a physician-researcher in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at BWH and Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

When compared to women who consume caffeine less than 150 mg/day, it was found that the incidence of the tinnitus was 15 percent lower among women who consumed 450-599 mg/day of caffeine. The majority of caffeine consumed was coffee and the results did not vary by age.

"The reason behind this observed association is unclear," said Curhan. "We know that caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, and previous research has demonstrated that caffeine has a direct effect on the inner ear in both bench science and animal studies. Researchers note that further evidence is needed to make any recommendations about whether the addition of caffeine would improve tinnitus symptoms."

The study was documented in American Journal of Medicine.