Your daily coffee could slow down hearing recovery, McGill University study finds

The health properties of coffee have been a subject of research by global scientists for a while now. This time around, Canadian experts from the Auditory Science Laboratory at McGill University decided to delve into how this invigorating beverage impacts the functionality of the hearing organ.

The study's goal, with results published on the "JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surgery" portal, was to ascertain whether the presence of caffeine in daily consumption impacts the restoration of hearing after exposure to loud noises.

Staying in a noisy room for a prolonged period results in a so-called temporary threshold shift, a form of temporary deafness.

A resulting hearing loss and a ringing sensation in the ears ensues, that usually recedes within the first 72 hours. However, the symptom might persist in some cases.

During the experiment, female albino guinea pigs were used, which were segmented into three different groups. The first group was exposed to a noise level of 110 dB while being given coffee.

This level of noise is comparable to that found in a concert hall with loud music. Guinea pigs under the same conditions formed the second group, but they were not given coffee.

The remaining of the guinea pigs were provided with coffee, but weren't exposed to any loud sounds.

Some of the guinea pigs were given coffee for 15 days. Those exposed to noise were placed in rooms with sound intensities at 8, 16, 20, and 25 kHz, for an hour each week.

On the eighth day of the experiment, the Canadian researchers noticed a substantial difference in the auditory levels among the animals.

In the subjects that consumed caffeine, the process of hearing regeneration was noticeably slower, while other animals showed recovery in their hearing capabilities.

As per the experts, the daily intake of 25mg of caffeine, combined with being in a noisy environment, hampers the process of hearing regeneration.