People suffering tinnitus have often been advised to avoid caffeine because it is seen as a risk or exacerbating factor for tinnitus. Evidence in medical literature have been limited on this link with a recent study demonstrating no improvement in tinnitus symptoms with the cessation of caffeine intake.
A recent journal article published in The American Journal of Medicine has found that, contrary to current beliefs, higher caffeine intake was associated with a lower risk of tinnitus in women. 65,085 women aged between 30 to 44 years without tinnitus in 1991 completed a series of questionnaires regarding lifestyle, medical history and food frequency. They were then tracked every four years from 1991 to 2009. Caffeine consumption came in various form, but in the majority of cases, coffee was the main source of caffeine.
The results from this study, showed that there was an inverse association between caffeine intake and the incident of tinnitus. Interestingly, they did not find an association between decaffeinated coffee intake and the incident of tinnitus, which suggest it is the caffeine rather than the other components of coffee that is associated with the decrease incidence in tinnitus. Unfortunately at this stage, the researchers were not able to explain the underlying mechanism of this association.
To read the full research article, click here.