Supplements might prevent hearing loss

28 March 2007

A new study reports that a combination of high doses of vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium, taken one hour before noise exposure and continued as a once-daily treatment for five days, is very effective at preventing permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

Clinical trials of a hearing-protection tablet or snack bar for people could begin soon, and if successful such a product could be available in as little as two years, says the senior author of the study, Josef Miller PhD, a professor at the University of Michigan (U-M), where the study was performed.

"These agents have been used for many years, but not for hearing loss. We know they’re safe, so that opens the door to push ahead with clinical trials with confidence we’re not going to do any harm," says Miller.

The formulation the researchers used built on earlier animal studies showing that single antioxidant vitamins were somewhat effective in preventing hearing loss, and on studies of Israeli soldiers given magnesium many days prior to exposure, who gained relatively small protective effects.

In the U-M study, noise-induced hearing loss was measured in four groups of guinea pigs treated with the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, magnesium alone, an ACE-magnesium combination, or a placebo. The treatments began one hour before a five-hour exposure to 120 decibel (dB) sound pressure level noise, and continued once daily for five days.

The group given the combined treatments of vitamins A, C and E and magnesium showed significantly less noise-induced hearing loss than all of the other groups.

The antioxidant vitamins and magnesium used in the study are widely used dietary supplements, not new drugs, and therefore they don’t require the extensive safety tests required for new drug entities prior to use in clinical trials. The doses to be used in proposed human trials will be within the ranges considered safe according to the Institute of Medicine and federal nutrition guidelines.

People could benefit by consuming a pill or nutritional bar before going to work in noisy environments, or attending noisy events like rock concerts, or even using an iPod or other music player.

Source: University of Michigan press release
(this link will open in a new window)

Deafness Research UK cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in external websites.