Diet rich in fruit, fibre, dairy and caffeine ‘may lower risk of tinnitus’

Eating a diet rich in fruit, fibre, dairy and caffeine may lower the risk of suffering tinnitus, research suggests.

Tinnitus refers to noises that do not come from an outside source, and includes ringing in the ears or buzzing, whooshing or humming.

The sounds may be in one or both ears, or in a person’s head, and can come and go.

Tinnitus has been linked with distress, depression, anxiety, stress and, in severe cases, suicide, and has been shown to significantly affect overall quality of life.

A new study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found there is low quality evidence overall but some research does suggest a role for the diet in cutting the risk of tinnitus.

Researchers in China examined eight observational studies involving 301,533 people that assessed 15 dietary factors using questionnaires.

The combined results suggested that caffeine, fruit, dietary fibre and dairy products “were negatively associated with the incidence of tinnitus; that is, the higher the intake of caffeine, fruit, dietary fibre, and dairy products, the lower the prevalence of tinnitus”, researchers concluded.

These reductions were 35% for fruit intake, 9% for dietary fibre, 17% for dairy products, and 10% for caffeine intake.

However, the team did say the findings on caffeine are contentious.

“Our findings indicate that caffeine has a positive effect on tinnitus incidence,” they wrote.

“Some suggest that caffeine might effectively decrease tinnitus incidence, possibly because of its anxiety-reducing effects.

“Conversely, some scholars argue that individuals with tinnitus often experience insomnia, in which caffeine consumption could worsen, thus exacerbating tinnitus.”

They added: “Evidence suggests that consuming fruit, dietary fibre, caffeine and dairy may be associated with a reduced incidence of tinnitus.

Calling for further studies, they said: “It is crucial to interpret our findings cautiously because of the overall low quality of the evidence available.”

Ralph Holme, director of research at the charity RNID, said: “Tinnitus affects one in seven adults and can be incredibly distressing for some people.

“Whilst we always welcome any new research to understand more about tinnitus, these results should be treated with caution as they do not tell us anything about causality ie these factors may simply be coincidental.

“However, any new insights are always valuable and could lead to more research into this area helping us better understand tinnitus in the future.

“In the meantime, if anyone is seeking help with their tinnitus, they can contact RNID for further information and support.”