Zinc - Tinnitus, Meniere's Disease and Hearing Loss

"It can be concluded that patients with tinnitus may have low blood zinc levels (31%) and clinical and subjective improvement can be achieved by oral zinc medication."

To see the full results of the clinical trial that proved this statement Click Here

Zinc has so many benefits that some would call it a super mineral. Clinical studies have shown it is a powerful antioxidant and immune stimulant.

Zinc is a trace mineral that has many functions in the body. Zinc deficiency is known to cause a variety of neurological disorders including tinnitus and immune dysfunction.

Zinc supplements have been shown to restore immune function in the malnourished.

THE ROLE OF ZINC IN THE TREATMENT OF TINNITUS

Arda HN, Tuncel U, Akdogan O, Ozluoglu LN.

Department of Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery, Ankara Numune Research and Education Hospital, Turkey. nedard@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the role of zinc administration in treatment of tinnitus.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled study.

SETTING: Patients with tinnitus were admitted to the ear, nose, and throat clinic of the authors' hospital.

PATIENTS: Patients with tinnitus with no know pathologic conditions of the ear, nose, and throat; the mean age of 28 patients receiving zinc was 51.2 years, and that of 13 patients given placebo was 55 years.

INTERVENTION: Blood zinc levels were measured. Frequency was detected by audiometry, and loudness of tinnitus was screened by tinnitus match test.

A questionnaire that scored tinnitus subjectively between 0 and 7 was given to patients before zinc treatment. After 2 months of treatment (zinc 50 mg daily to zinc group, placebo pill containing starch to placebo group), all of the tests were performed again.

There was no difference in age, sex, duration of tinnitus, and affected ears between the patients treated with zinc and those treated with placebo. Blood zinc levels were lower than normal in 31% of patients before treatment.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A decrease in tinnitus loudness by at least 10 dB was accepted as clinically favorable progress. A decrease of more than 1 point in subjective tinnitus scoring was accepted as valid. RESULTS: Clinically favorable progress was detected in 46.4% of patients given zinc.

Although this decrease was not statistically significant, the severity of subjective tinnitus decreased in 82% of the patients receiving zinc.

The mean of subjective tinnitus decreased from 5.25 +/- 1.08 to 2.82 +/- 1.81 ( < 0.001). However, the decrease in severity of the tinnitus was not significant in patients receiving placebo.

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that patients with tinnitus may have low blood zinc levels (31%) and clinical and subjective improvement can be achieved by oral zinc medication. However, it remains to be seen whether the longer duration of treatment has more significant results.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 12544035 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

What becomes clear from the above clinical trial is that ZINC is a vital supplement for tinnitus and Meniere's Disease sufferers.

The inner ear has a high concentration of zinc.

"We don't know much about how zinc works in the inner ear, but it's evident that the cochlea needs zinc to function properly," explains George E. Shambaugh, Jr., M.D., professor emeritus of otolarynology and head and neck surgery at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.

"Animals fed a diet low in zinc partially lose the ability to hear, and apparently, even the kind of marginal zinc deficiency often seen in older people worsens the hearing loss associated with ear damage from noise or aging." Zinc is involved in a wide array of functions, including helping to maintain healthy cell membranes and protecting cells from oxygen-related damage.

Doctors estimate that up to 31% percent of the patients they see that are suffering from severe tinnitus are zinc-deficient.

They also suffer from poor appetite, hair loss, diminished taste or smell or skin problems.

All of these symptoms are related to zinc deficiency.

That's because zinc can be toxic in large doses. Zinc also interferes with copper absorption, so if you're taking high doses of zinc, you may need to take supplemental copper (the ratio that's generally recommended is 1 milligram of copper for every 10 milligrams of zinc).

With the recommended dosage of Two Alpha Tinnitus Relief Formula capsules taken twice daily, your total zinc intake is 20mg.

If your total daily intake of zinc is above 40 mg, it is advisable to supplement with 2-5 mg copper and 5-10 mg manganese.

When you think zinc, think productivity. From helping to create new skin and sperm cells to boosting the immune system, zincl works overtime to produce the cells you need to keep healthy.

"Healing, growth, pregnancy, lactation are all situations where there is an increased need for zinc because of the need for more cells," says Adria Sherman, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

A classic example is immune defense. Before your body can battle a foreign invader, zinc and chemicals called zinc-dependent enzymes work together to help build new immune system cells and whip them into fighting trim. That's why zinc is helpful in fending off viral infections.

By the same token, too much zinc--just 25 milligrams a day in one study--has been found to decrease immunity.

Alpha Tinnitus Formulas give you 20 milligrams a day at the recommended dosage of 2 capsules taken twice daily.

Zinc's quick cell replication skills come in handy when you have cuts or wounds. It's vital for the production of collagen, the connective tissue that helps wounds heal, says Richard Wood, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Nutrition at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and chief of the mineral bioavailability laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. "And when you don't get enough zinc, normal healing doesn't occur," he says.

Although research findings are slim, some doctors recommend zinc to treat enlarged prostate, a disease that disrupts the flow of urine in men. Zinc hasn't been tested in any large scientific studies, and until it is, many doctors will remain skeptical. It's important to work with a doctor knowledgeable in nutrition if you want to try zinc for prostate problems.

Even several key enzymes that protect and preserve your vision can't be formed without zinc. "Zinc and vitamin A interact in the eyes to maintain the normal process of dark adaptation, where the eyes adjust to low levels of light," says Dr. Wood.

The benefits of zinc aside, it's likely that most Americans simply don't get enough of this mineral. In fact, one study found that 30 percent of healthy elderly people are zinc-deficient. They may not be the only ones: In their zeal to eat low-fat diets, more people than ever are shunning red meat, and red meat is a solid source of this vital nutrient.

Another potential problem: Increased calcium intake, recommended to prevent osteoporosis, removes some zinc from the body, says Dr. Wood. The heavy plant emphasis of some vegetarian diets can interfere with zinc absorption, as can alcoholism, oral penicillin therapy and diuretics (water pills). Low levels of vitamin B6 have also been found to reduce zinc absorption.

Signs of possible deficiency include impaired immunity, weight loss, bloating, loss of appetite, rashes and other skin changes, bedsores, hair loss, diminished sense of taste or smell, absence of menstrual periods and depression.