Zinc & Tinnitus

Everyone will at some point experience a ringing or buzzing in the ears that only lasts for a few minutes. However, when the noise does not stop after a while, the condition is called tinnitus.

Identification

• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a common condition affecting about 50 million people in the United States. It can be a ringing, buzzing or roaring type noise in the ears.

Causes

• Tinnitus can be caused by many different conditions, including a buildup of earwax, a perforated eardrum, certain medications (aspirin, some antibiotics, sedatives, as well as about 200 others) and overexposure to loud noise.

Zinc

• Zinc is a mineral that is important for immune health, healing wounds and normal growth. The recommended daily allowance of zinc ranges from 3mg/day for children to 14mg/day for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Zinc Sources

• Some good sources of zinc in foods include red meat, poultry, beans, nuts and whole grains. Zinc is also found in most multivitamin supplements and in lozenges by itself. Zinc can interact with some medications, including birth control pills and some antibiotics. Check with your doctor before starting zinc supplements.

Clinical study

• A 2003 study by the Bastyr Center to examine the effects of zinc therapy on tinnitus used 41 patients who were randomly assigned to either receive 50mg of zinc daily or a placebo. After two months of treatment, 46 percent of patients in the zinc group showed a clinical improvement in their tinnitus.