Caffeine & Meniere's Disease

There is currently no consensus as to what specifically causes Meniere's Disease, but researchers (and those who suffer from it) agree on the most common symptoms: dizziness, ringing in the ear, hearing loss, and pain in the affected ear. Along with other "trigger foods" (such as salt and alcohol), caffeine increases the severity of the symptoms in certain people who suffer from Meniere's because it raises blood pressure, constricts blood vessels, and increases fluid loss.

History

• Caffeine (which occurs naturally in more than 60 different kinds of plants) has been consumed for centuries as a pleasant "pick me up." Legend has it that in 2737 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nung first invented tea (which contains caffeine) when some tea leaves accidentally dropped into a pot of boiling water.

  In 1861, Prosper Meniere, a French physician, conducted research on a group of patients who suffered from vertigo, deafness and nausea. Although Meniere never discovered a cure for the syndrome, his work was important enough that in 1874 another researcher, Jean Martin Charcot, labeled the disease "Maladie de Meniere."

Types

• Caffeine can be found in many of the foods we eat, but its levels are particularly high in certain beverages and snacks:

  • Restaurant-brewed espresso: 40 mg (1 oz)
  • Regular coffee, brewed at home: 85 mg (8 oz)
  • Tea, brewed at home: 40 mg (8 oz)
  • Carbonated soda: 34 mg (12 oz can)
  • Hot cocoa: 6 mg (8 oz)
  • Milk chocolate: 6 mg (1 oz)
  • Dark or semi-sweet chocolate: 20 mg (1 oz)

Warning

• Even "decaffeinated" coffee and tea contain caffeine (around 3 mg per 8 oz serving), which might be just enough to set off a Meniere's attack. And be very careful about drinking those so-called "energy drinks" if you have Meniere's: Red Bull, for one example, contains 80 mg of caffeine in an 8.2 oz. serving.

Misconceptions

• Many people will say that caffeine helps them get ready for the day (or for that history test) because it energizes them and sharpens their mental acuity. In reality, however, caffeine provides no real help for completing intricate tasks or solving complicated problems. Drinking coffee will not help you sober up, either.

Facts

• While the specific cause of Meniere's is still open to investigation, here is what researchers do know about this disease:

  • Meniere's is a disorder of the inner ear caused by an abnormal amount of fluid.
  • Fluid in the inner ear helps you control your balance.
  • When your fluid levels are abnormal, you may experience dizziness and nausea.
  • Caffeine affects the fluid levels in your body, and so may worsen the effects of Meniere's.
  • Meniere's generally affects only one ear and usually leads to hearing loss.
  • The disease affects mostly people in their 40s and 50s.
  • Approximately 600,000 people in the U.S. suffer from Meniere's.