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Vitamins for Hearing

In recent years, researchers at the University of Michigan Health System's Kresge Hearing Research Institute have been working on a combination of vitamins that can help stave off noise induced hearing loss. A 2007 study involving guinea pigs showed that a combination of vitamins A, C and E, plus magnesium, when given to the animals in the days after loud noise exposure, lowered their risk of hearing loss. Other research in to the relationship between vitamins and hearing loss has shown a possible link between vitamin B12 deficiency and tinnitus.

  1. A, C, E and Magnesium Treatment

    • Guinea pigs at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute were given high doses of vitamins A, C and E, plus magnesium one hour before they were exposed to a 120-decibel sound for five hours. The sound was equivalent to a jet engine at close range during take off, a sound not uncommon to soldiers. The guinea pigs continued to receive the A, C, E and magnesium treatment for five days after exposure to the sound.

    A, C, E and Magnesium Results

    • The guinea pigs that were given the A, C and E, plus magnesium treatment where seen to have significantly less damage to the inner ear than those given either a placebo or only one of the four pills. According to Colleen G. Le Prell, Ph.D., the study's lead author and a research investigator, the vitamin and mineral cocktail works together to prevent free-radicals from creating cell damage in the ear.

    Free Radicals

    • Free radicals are corrosive molecules that are a natural part of the human body. They are often associated with devastating illnesses, such as cancer. In the ear, free radicals are responsible for the destruction of fine hairs inside the ear that carry sound waves to the inner ear. As these hairs disappear, the amount of sound that makes it to the inner ear dwindles, which results in hearing loss.

    B12 Deficiency

    • A March 1993 article in the American Journal of Otolaryngology linked vitamin B12 deficiency with tinnitus and other hearing loss. The article detailed a study, conducted by the Noise Hazards Research and Evoked Potentials Laboratory at Chaim-Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, of 57 army personnel members who exhibited chronic tinnitus and hearing loss. Of those tested, 47 percent were shown to have a vitamin B12 deficiency. Correcting the B12 deficiency after the onset of tinnitus and hearing loss improved hearing in only 12 of the 57 participants. This means that the best way to treat tinnitus with vitamin B12 is to prevent the deficiency in the first place.

    The Bottom Line

    • We should all eat plenty of vitamin rich foods, but hearing loss prevention requires more vitamin A, C, E and magnesium than we can realistically eat. When you know that you are going to be exposed to loud noises, like a concert, football game or fireworks display, take a high dose of vitamins A, C, E and magnesium at least one hour before exposure. A pill form of this cocktail, called AuraQuell, is in clinical trails. Vitamin B12 is found in meats, dairy products and eggs. Preventing vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians and those with absorption issues means taking a supplement every day. Your doctor can test for vitamin B12 deficiency with a blood test.

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