Want to Avoid Tinnitus? Study Says Forget Ear Plugs: Drink More Coffee!

We’ve all been to a lot of shows, and our hearing is pretty much fucked. But a new study in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine suggests that caffeine intake can help reduce the risk of developing tinnitus, a permanent ringing or buzzing in the ears caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise.

Ziltoid would be pleased!

A New York Times article reports that the study tracked caffeine use and incidents of tinnitus in 65,085 women aged 30-34 at the start of the study over a period of 18 years. The findings:

Compared with women who consumed less than 150 milligrams of caffeine a day (roughly the amount in an eight-ounce cup of coffee), those who had 450 to 599 milligrams a day were 15 percent less likely to have tinnitus, and those who consumed 600 milligrams or more were 21 percent less likely. The association persisted after controlling for other hearing problems, hypertension, diabetes, use of anti-inflammatory Nsaid drugs, a history of depression and other factors. Decaffeinated coffee consumption had no effect on tinnitus risk.

Those are pretty firm results. It’s worth noting that they don’t necessarily reflect causation, only correlation — it’s possible that those who consume more caffeine are less likely to expose themselves to loud noises for some reason or another — but with over 65,000 participants it’s probably a safe bet to conclude that someone who regularly consumes caffeine has a reduced risk of tinnitus. Also worth noting: the study only tracked women, not men.

By the way, in case it’s not clear: definitely don’t forego earplugs like my headline suggests. Please do wear earplugs, too.

So, uh, I’m gonna ask one of the MS Mansion Monkeys to get a pot of coffee brewing… who’s in?