Share on PinterestCaffeinf, fruit, and dairy may help reduce tinnitus risk. Image credit: Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images.
- About 740 million people globally experience tinnitus.
- While there is no cure for tinnitus, past studies show there are ways a person can reduce their risk of developing the condition, including eating a healthy diet.
- A new study reports that increasing fruit, fiber, dairy products, and caffeine in your diet may help reduce your tinnitus risk.
About 740 million people around the world experience tinnitus — a chronic hearing condition where a person constantly hears bothersome sounds in one or both ears.
Colloquially, tinnitus is often referred to as a “ringing in the ears.”
There are a number of underlying causes for tinnitus, including hearing loss, ear infections, thyroid problems, and a condition of the inner ear called Meniere’s disease.
There is currently no cure for tinnitus. Past studies suggest there are ways a person can reduce their risk of developing tinnitus, including protecting your hearing from loud noise, such as music at concerts or when using power tools, as well as stress management, getting enough sleep, and maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Previous research has also examined the role that following a healthy diet plays in tinnitus risk. For example, a study published in February 2020 found that a higher intake of vitamin B12 and a high-protein diet helped reduce tinnitus risk.
And a study published in December 2024 found that consuming tuna fish, light-meat fish, and shellfish was linked to a lower risk of developing persistent tinnitus in women.
Now a new study recently published in the journal BMJ Open reports that increasing levels of fruit, fiber, dairy products, and caffeine in the diet may help reduce tinnitus risk.
Consuming fruit, dietary fiber, dairy helps reduce tinnitus risk
For this study, researchers analyzed medical data from eight studies that examined tinnitus and diet in adults ages 18 years or older for a total of more than 301,000 study participants.
Within these studies, scientists looked at 15 specific dietary factors:
- caffeine
- carbohydrates
- dairy
- eggs
- fat
- fiber
- fish
- fruits
- margarine
- meat
- protein
- sugar
- varied diets
- vegetables
- water.
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that participants who consumed fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products, and caffeine had the lowest risk of developing tinnitus.
Fruit reduced the risk by 35%, dairy products by 17%, caffeine by 10%, and dietary fiber by 8%.
The researchers reported they did not find any associations between the remaining 11 dietary factors and tinnitus risk.
Reinforcing how lifestyle factors impact tinnitus risk
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Rachel Cohen, AuD, CCC-A, senior audiologist at Hear.com, about this study, in which she was not involved.
“I found the study quite intriguing, as it reinforces the idea that lifestyle factors may play a role in tinnitus risk,” Cohen commented. “Given how challenging tinnitus can be for patients, it’s encouraging to see evidence suggesting that certain dietary habits — such as consuming more fruit, fiber, dairy, and even caffeine — could potentially lower its incidence.”
“Tinnitus is a condition that significantly impacts quality of life, often leading to anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances,” she continued.
“While treatments like hearing aids and sound therapy can help manage symptoms, prevention is always preferable. If we can identify modifiable risk factors such as diet, then I believe it gives patients more control over their health. Plus, incorporating these findings into broader tinnitus management strategies could enhance patient outcomes in a way that goes beyond traditional interventions,” the expert suggested.
Bringing awareness to importance of leading a healthy lifestyle
Virginia Toth, AuD, CCC-A, manager of audiology for Tinnitus and Balance Program at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in New Jersey, similarly not involved in the recent study, told MNT that while any research that provides information on how to reduce the risk of developing tinnitus is always positive, readers do need to be cautious with interpreting this research.
“Although this research identified a potential link between diet and tinnitus, further research [is needed] to determine if this diet leads to healthier individuals with the secondary benefit of less damage to the auditory system resulting in less hearing loss/tinnitus,” Toth explained.
“Tinnitus can be very debilitating to many people who suffer from it, impacting their mental health, their relationships and their work,” she continued. “Although not everyone’s tinnitus is debilitating. Some people who develop tinnitus go about their daily life with little to no impact on their lives.”
“Additional research heightens awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle by minimizing conditions that have the potential to impact your life,” Toth added. “These lifestyle changes can also reduce your risk of developing hearing loss, which is generally a precursor to tinnitus.”
Need for further research
MNT also spoke with Rebecca Lewis, AuD, audiologist and audiology director of the Adult & Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, not involved in the study, who commented that she did not find it surprising that a healthy diet could potentially help with tinnitus, as it does with most health conditions.
“It would be nice to see clinical trials to assess the impact of dietary patterns on tinnitus severity to help clarify whether modifying diet could slow or halt tinnitus progression,” Lewis said. “Additionally, longitudinal studies tracking dietary patterns and tinnitus symptoms over time to establish stronger causal relationships.”
She continued by noting that:
“Caffeine-specific research that differentiates between acute and chronic tinnitus and across populations with preexisting hearing loss [versus] those without hearing loss. It would also be interesting to learn more about objective measures to assess tinnitus — imaging studies and auditory system tests — to assess diet related changes.”
“In medicine we are moving toward personalized approaches to treatment and prevention,” Lewis added. “Learning more about tinnitus based on the individual’s genetics, pre-existing conditions, and diet could have a great impact on how we manage tinnitus and prevent it.”
