Vitamins to Prevent Hearing Loss?

If a daily dose of extra vitamins could protect you from noise-induced hearing loss, would you take it? Scientists at the U-M Kresge Hearing Research Institute are convinced there are lots of people who’d be interested — especially soldiers, musicians, pilots, construction workers or anyone who wants to protect their hearing from the daily din of modern urban society.

Josef Miller Photo: Scott Galvin

Josef M. Miller, Ph.D., a professor of otolaryngology and former director of the institute, and Colleen Le Prell, Ph.D., a former research investigator there, tested a combination of high doses of vitamins A, C, E and magnesium in a preclinical animal study and found it to be very effective at preventing permanent noise-induced hearing loss. The animals had prolonged, close-range exposure to sounds as loud as a jet engine during take-off.

Convinced that the right combination of antioxidants and a vasodilator can effectively prevent this type of noise-induced inner ear damage, Miller launched a U-M start-up company called OtoMedicine to test and market the vitamin-and-magnesium formulation for use in people.

Clinical trials of a hearing-protective tablet or snack bar are scheduled to begin in Sweden this summer, according to Miller, co-principal investigator with colleagues at the Karolinska Institute. The doses of the commonly used dietary supplements to be tested in the clinical study are known to be safe for human consumption. If results show that the formulation is effective at preventing hearing loss in people, Miller says a product could be on the market within two years.

—Anne Rueter

For an expanded version of the story:
www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/ 2007/hearingloss.htm

For patient information about hearing loss:
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_noishear_crs.htm