The findings, from a study involving nearly 70,000 women, suggest caffeine may have a protective effect against against the debilitating effects of tinnitus – a constant ringing in the ears that can drive some victims to suicide.
The Nurses Health Study II detailed the health and lifestyle habits of more than 65,000 nurses in the US.
The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine found that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were up to 20 per cent less at risk of developing the condition – which causes a persistent ringing in the ears.
According to the Daily Mail, the monitoring of caffeine intake found that around 70 per cent of the intake was related to drinking coffee, but added that no association with decaffeinated coffee was identified.
The report added: “This suggests it is caffeine rather than another component of coffee that was associated with a decreased incidence of tinnitus.”
Results
At baseline the mean age of the cohort was 36.3 years and the mean caffeine intake was 242.3 mg/day. After 18 years of follow-up, 5,289 incident cases of tinnitus were reported.
There was a significant inverse association between caffeine intake and the incidence of tinnitus.
Compared with women with caffeine intake less than 150 mg/day (150 mg corresponds to approximately one 8 ounce cup of coffee), the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios were 0.85 (95% CI 0.76-0.95) for those who consumed 450-599 mg/day and 0.79 (0.68-0.91) for those who consumed 600mg/day or more.
