Magnesium for Preventing Noise-induced Hearing Loss

http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=38739

Long-term exposure to loud sounds, such as gunfire or rock music, can cause permanent hearing loss. A 2-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 300 military recruits found daily supplementation with magnesium helped protect the ear from noise-induced damage. ¹ The dosage used in this study was quite small—only 167 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily—but tests showed that even this amount was sufficient to raise magnesium levels inside cells and apparently protect the ear from damage. Soldiers who received the magnesium were less likely to experience permanent hearing damage than those in the placebo group, and when they did experience hearing damage, it was less severe.

It is not clear how magnesium might protect hearing. Studies in animals suggest that magnesium deficiency can increase the stress on cells involved with hearing and thereby make them more susceptible to damage caused by intense noise. ¹ However, human magnesium deficiency is believed to be rare, so it is possible that supplemental magnesium acts in some entirely different way.