Caffeine ‘can make temporary hearing loss permanent’

July 9, 2016

Temporary hearing loss subsides 72 hours after exposure to loud noise
But a new study has found caffeine greatly hampers that recovery
In fact, regular coffee-drinking could cause permanent damage, study says

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published:
12:39 EST, 8 July 2016

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Updated:
21:13 EST, 8 July 2016

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A coffee may seem like just the trick to soothe your head after a night clubbing or wailing along to a concert.

But that all-important latte could have a devastating impact on your hearing, a new study claims.

According to research by McGill University, daily consumption of caffeine blocks the ears from recovering after temporary hearing damage.

Ears usually recover from exposure to construction nooise, loud music or airplane sound within 72 hours.

However, experts at McGill warn regular coffee could hamper that recovery – even making the damage permanent.

Daily consumption of caffeine blocks the ears from recovering after temporary hearing damage, a study says

‘Our research confirmed that exposure to loud auditory stimuli coupled with daily consumption of 25mg/kg of caffeine had a clear negative impact on hearing recovery,’ says Dr Faisal Zawawi, an Otolaryngologist and member of the McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory.

‘When the ear is exposed to loud noise, it can suffer from a temporary hearing reduction, also called auditory temporary threshold shift.

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‘This disorder is usually reversible in the first 72 hours after the exposure, but if symptoms persist, the damage could become permanent.’

Dr Zawawi’s team tested the theory on animals, exposing them to a sound of 110 dB – similar to the noise of loud concert – for one hour.

Half the animals had a daily dose of caffeine, the other half had no caffeine.

After the first day, there was no difference between the two groups’ hearing recoveries.

But after eight days of tests, the group consuming regular doses of caffeine showed significant hearing impairment compared to the other half.

The maximum recommended intake of caffeine is 3mg/kg a day – the same as three 8oz cups of coffee.

Many sodas wildly exceed that guideline, containing more than 200mg per can.

Ears usually recover from exposure to construction nooise, loud music or airplane sound within 72 hours. However, experts warn regular coffee could hamper that recovery – even making the damage permanent