Coffee Can Cause A Serious Impact On Hearing: Study

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Coffee lovers who like to attend rock music concerts or work at the airports should be cautious, as a recent study indicated that caffeine has a serious impact on hearing.

According to a research by the McGill University in Canada, regular caffeine consumption can greatly impede hearing recovery from a loud noise, even making the damage permanent, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"When the ear is exposed to loud noise, it can suffer from a temporary hearing reduction, also called auditory temporary threshold shift. This disorder is usually reversible in the first 72 hours after the exposure, but if symptoms persist, the damage could become permanent," said Dr. Faisal Zawawi, an otolaryngologist at McGill.

The researchers found this impact through an experiment on guinea pigs. They grouped the pigs and tested them in environments of noise without coffee, and noise with coffee.

The noise the animals were exposed to for one hour per day was similar as to what people hear at a rock concert. After 8 days, a significant difference of hearing loss was recorded between the two groups, according to the research team.

In 2015, the European Food Safety Authority published an advice that caffeine intake from all sources up to 400 mg per day and single doses of 200 mg might be safe for adults in the general population.

However, the McGill research suggests that exposure to loud noises coupled with daily consumption of 25 mg of caffeine may have a clear negative impact on hearing recovery.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.