How Vitamin B12 Affects Hearing?

One of the many reasons to eat a well-balanced diet is to provide your body with the vitamins and minerals you require to thrive. This includes nutrients that support your auditory health. If you’re not consuming enough vitamin B12, it can contribute to premature hearing loss and accelerate the rate at which your hearing declines. Let’s explore how vitamin B12 affects hearing.

Can Vitamin B12 Deficiency Cause Hearing Loss?

There are 13 essential vitamins. Essential vitamins are key nutrients your body requires for regulating every function in the body. B12 is one of 8 B vitamins. One of its many roles is nerve regeneration, and regulating and protecting against nerve damage. This includes regulating your auditory nerves.

Auditory Nerves and Sound Processing

The sensory hair cells in the cochlea translate sound vibrations into electrical impulses. These electrical impulses run along an intricate network of nerves from the inner ear to the brain. Different sounds are sent to different regions of the brain to interpret speech and music, filter background noise, and determine the distance and location of sound. So, if your nerves are damaged or impaired, it can negatively impact your hearing.

Where to Obtain Vitamin B12?

The top sources of vitamin B12 are fish, milk, dairy, eggs, poultry, and red meat. To minimize the risk of deficiency for vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians, many cereals and plant-based milks are fortified with B vitamins.

Vitamin absorption rates slow with age, and some health conditions may disrupt absorption. This includes Sjögren syndrome, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and some autoimmune diseases. Bariatric surgery and some prescription medications, including metformin and proton pump inhibitors, may impair vitamin absorption.

Does Vitamin B12 Deficiency Cause Hearing Loss?

A vitamin B12 deficiency doesn’t directly cause hearing loss, but it may impair auditory (and whole-body) nerve function. This can accelerate the inevitable decline in hearing that comes with age. It can also contribute to noise-induced hearing loss and premature hearing loss.

Signs of B12 Deficiency

Brain fog
Digestive issues
Feeling tired or weak
Low appetite
Pale skin
Numbness in hands or feet
Tingling in hands or feet
Unexplained weight loss
Vision problems

The Connection Between Vitamin B12 and Hearing Loss

A range of studies demonstrate the connection between B12 deficiency and hearing loss.

One study found that women 60+ with hearing loss had 38% less B12 and 31% less B9 levels than those with normal hearing.
Deficiency disrupts the regulation of amino acid homocysteine. This can increase auditory inflammation and damage auditory blood vessels and nerves.
Hearing naturally declines with age, but adults 60+ diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss often have lower B12 levels.
Deficiency may increase the likelihood of losing sound frequencies associated with nerve damage. This includes the frequencies within the range of 4000 Hz to 6000 Hz.
Mild hearing loss is more common amongst school-aged children with B12 deficiency.
Deficiency may interfere with the nerve growth and development of the auditory system. This includes breastfeeding infants whose mother has a deficiency.
Deficiency may increase noise-induced hearing loss, because their auditory nerves are already underperforming.
Those diagnosed with chronic tinnitus who take B12 supplements report reduced ringing and an easier time filtering background noise in public environments.

Iron Deficiency and Auditory Health

There is also a link between iron deficiency anemia and hearing loss. Anemia prevents the body from producing sufficient red blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for immunity, blood clotting, carbon dioxide removal, and delivering oxygen to every cell in your body. The inner ear requires an oxygen-rich blood supply to function properly. This may be why those with an iron deficiency are up to twice as likely to have hearing loss. You may even have better hearing at higher frequencies with an iron-rich diet.

Iron-Rich Foods

All meat and seafood
Eggs
Dark leafy greens
Lentils
Organ meat
Sweet potatoes
Tofu
Tomatoes

Signs of Iron Deficiency/Anemia

The signs of iron deficiency overlap with the signs of a B12 deficiency.

Fatigue
Pale skin
Shortness of breath
Weakness

Other Nutrients Vital to Auditory Health

Iron and B vitamins aren’t the only nutrients to prioritize as a proactive approach to auditory health. In addition to general nutritional guidelines, identify what your body requires for whole-body health. This is determined by factors such as your age, gender, lifestyle, health, family history, prescription medications, and level of physical activity. Consider having a vitamin deficiency test to identify what you need.

Herbs, supplements, vitamins, and minerals for hearing loss include:

B Vitamins
Carotenoids
CoQ10
Ginkgo biloba
Ginseng
Iron
Magnesium
Omega-3 fatty acids
Potassium
Vitamin C
Zinc

Diagnostic Hearing Evaluations in Staten Island and Holmdel

If you live in or around Holmdel, New Jersey or Staten Island, New York, and you have noticed a change in your hearing, schedule a diagnostic hearing evaluation with Dr. Stella Fulman. You should have your hearing assessed at least every 3 years, or annually if you have declining hearing, or are over the age of 60.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamins and Hearing Loss

Can taking Vitamin B12 supplements reverse my hearing loss?

While Vitamin B12 is crucial for nerve health, taking supplements usually won’t reverse permanent hearing loss that has already occurred. However, correcting a B12 deficiency can stop further damage and may improve the health of your auditory nerves. Some patients with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) have also reported a reduction in symptoms after boosting their B12 levels.

How do I know if my hearing loss is caused by a vitamin deficiency?

It is difficult to self-diagnose the root cause of hearing loss. Because the symptoms of vitamin deficiency—like fatigue, brain fog, or tingling hands—can be vague, the best approach is a two-step process. First, schedule a blood panel with your primary care physician to check your B12 and iron levels. Second, schedule a diagnostic hearing evaluation with an audiologist to assess the type and severity of your hearing loss.

Is ringing in the ears (tinnitus) a sign of B12 deficiency?

Yes, it can be. Because Vitamin B12 is essential for the protective sheath covering your nerves (myelin), a lack of it can cause nerves to misfire. This often manifests as tinnitus—a ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in the ears. If you are experiencing chronic tinnitus along with fatigue or numbness in your extremities, it is worth checking your vitamin levels.

Besides B12, what is the best vitamin for hearing problems?

Auditory health relies on a mix of nutrients rather than a single “miracle” vitamin. Alongside B12, magnesium is highly recommended as it protects the inner ear from noise-induced damage. Potassium helps regulate the fluid in the inner ear, and folate (Vitamin B9) works closely with B12 to support blood flow to the cochlea. A well-rounded diet rich in leafy greens, nuts, and lean proteins is usually the best defense.

Who is most at risk for B12-related hearing loss?

Adults over the age of 60 are at the highest risk because our ability to absorb B12 from food naturally declines as we age. Additionally, vegetarians and vegans are at higher risk because B12 is primarily found in animal products. People taking certain medications for acid reflux (proton pump inhibitors) or diabetes (metformin) should also monitor their levels closely, as these drugs can interfere with absorption.