There is some evidence to suggest that there may be an association between body mass index (BMI) and tinnitus, although the strength of the association varies depending on the study.
A 2015 study published in the journal PLoS One found that higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of tinnitus in women. However, this association was not found in men. Another study published in 2019 in the journal Nutrients found a positive association between BMI and tinnitus severity in both men and women.
And it's not just higher BMIs that indicate a link. A study published in 2018 in Scientific Reports showed that "underweight premenopausal women exhibited a higher odds ratio for tinnitus compared with women of normal weight."
It's important to note that while these studies suggest an association between BMI and tinnitus, they do not establish causality. The mechanisms underlying the association between BMI and tinnitus are not fully understood, and more research is needed to determine the nature of this relationship.
A recent article in Auris Nasus Larynx makes no bones about it: "increased body weight is known to increase tinnitus symptoms." In their study, the researchers report that "there was a more significant decrease in tinnitus frequency, tinnitus severity, and [self-reported tinnitus intensity] scores in individuals with a weight loss of greater than 5.0% than in those with less than 5.0%."
In other words, if you're overweight and have tinnitus, you might reduce the noise in your head by losing some weight.
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