Ketogenic Diet

Just to check back in.

Two months on the keto diet (<20g carbs daily) but no change to tinnitus, although not really expected as my son's tinnitus is likely due to muscle strain. Also, comprehensive blood tests have never shown any deficiencies that could be remedied by diet.

However, a nice weight loss and my son is really enjoying the food.

 

I can somehow vouch for this method.
I am not really following a 'keto' diet per say but i do follow a low carb diet ( which is very similar ). I started doing low carb for unrelated reason to tinnitus ( mainly digestive ) and rapidly enough i saw improvement in my tinnitus as well as digestive issues.

Carbs 'overdose' on the other hand will usually make it worse, if i don't pay attention and stop eating low carb i can clearly see it spike again (especially with added sugar )

So for me it does not "cure" tinnitus but it makes it much better.

 

I've made several references in the past about some of the overlap between tinnitus and myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). It's often referred to as ME or ME/CFS. I just ran across a post by a man who's had ME for 5 1/2 years, and developed tinnitus at the same time--but the t is now gone away on a ketogenic diet.

In HIS THREAD (lengthy), he explains in detail why he thought the ketogenic diet might help his brain and his overall health, which is probably the same explanation for why it helped his tinnitus. I asked him for some details on his tinnitus, and he responded with the following reply:

I've had terrible tinnitus the entire 5 1/2 years of ME. The ME caused the tinnitus, I never had it before that. It was the worst the first two years (really loud and fairly constant, especially exploding when someone talked too loud near me or triggered by other noises), then as I moved into chronic phase it stabilized to daily periods of tinnitus with fluctuations.

Now the tinnitus is gone... seriously... completely gone within a few days (as well as a host of other symptoms). So for me and others who've done a 180 with a ketogenic diet it was the fact that my body's and brain's cells were totally malfunctioning. They were still trying to use glucose for energy from the carbs I was eating in a normal diet and a crucial part of the ME disease process is blocking it at the cellular level. Only by switching my body to fully use ketones did everything change... some of us are strong anecdotal proof of the disease process discovered by the metabolomics studies.

@Michael Leigh​

 

Hi Lane,

In the last paragraph, do you know what this person means by 180?
Thanks!

 

maybe 180 degrees turn in old habits?

 

Could be! I would do 360 if it would help me get out of this hell!!!

 

I think it means that his T had "turned around" and had gotten better after he began this diet.

 

Keto gives me so much more energy and makes me feel focused but sticking to the diet is soooo hard. Carbs are everywhere. I don't notice my tinnitus changing when I'm on keto.

 

I have had a ringing in my ears sense around 2010 due to Chemo, started the Keto diet in Feb of this year (2018) and the ringing tone has gone away, I still have some kind light sound like maybe crickets way in background, but so much better then it was, I am hoping if I continue it will continue to improve

I did find this while searching to see if maybe the keto is what is helping

https://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/sugar-metabolism-affects-tinnitus/

 

I also am at 20 grams of net carbs or under, took me about 5 months before noticed the ringing tone change, I never even heard it would help with Tinnitus, just tonight I realized it changed, glad to hear you say came and went and then disappeared as I would be really bummed if came back tomorrow thinking was a fluke and did not really go away, at least I now know might come and go before gone for good, my fingers are crossed

 

true, the human body stores about 30% of it's backup energy as saturated fat, so not sure it's as evil as some make it out, but keeping it below 30% of your total fat eaten is probably not a bad idea

 

update, today the ringing is back, bummed, but hopeful, seems lighter, but honestly, it's about the same

 

update, well it's been another week, no change, still about the same

 

I’ve been following the Keto way of eating since late December 2018.

I decided to try it because I noticed if I overindulged in sugar carbs, my tinnitus would spike very badly. It would take days sometimes for it to go down.

I’m happy to report after about 2 weeks, my tinnitus started to steadily subside and with each week it’s been quieter.

At this writing it’s gone from an average 8-9 to a 3-4. This has been so wonderful, I just had to share.

 

Congratulations @Quiet please on your dramatic improvements! You may find THIS STORY interesting (on a different forum). It's another story how a man got rid of his tinnitus after starting a ketogenic diet--after having suffered with tinnitus for 5 1/2 years.

 

Woman on a group for another health issue I'm in said the Keto diet stopped her tinnitus.

 

I may give this a go, but I love carbs.

I wouldn't know how to start a keto diet anyway or how to make one that I can stick to.

 

In case you missed it, I posted a SUCCESS STORY on this thread; as in complete elimination of tinnitus by going on a ketogenic diet.

 

Wow, thanks!

 

God yes I love carbs so much too. I also have massive trouble sleeping if I am in anyway hungry.

 

Update: I’m still on the Keto way of eating for the past. 10 months. My T has increased to an average 6-7, which is still awful. But I notice that when I slip off Keto, it goes way higher; closer to a 8-9 for days afterwards. So my conclusion is that carbs (for me) do play a role in my Tinnitus spikes. To have a piece of birthday cake, go to a party and have a few drinks, eat a piece of candy is a guarantee my T will spike for days. Is it worth it to indulge? No. Do I want the spikes? No. Is it fun? He’ll no.

 

@Quiet please
Any new updates. I’m considering trying the diet after the Holidays. I’m sold on carbs spiking tinnitus.
I ate a pasta dinner tonight and my tinnitus shot thru the roof. I’m wondering if the complete Keto diet is totally necessary or just cutting all carbs is just as effective?

 

@Cape crusader -- I've been experimenting a lot with my diet since getting tinnitus, and at one point faced a similar choice as to whether I should go strictly keto. As I started eating less and less carbohydrates, my intution told me not to go that route, as it would cut out foods I felt were necessary for me. Instead, I started experimenting with "intermittent fasting", gradually extending the time period from my last eating on one day, to the first eating on the next.

At first, it was somewhat difficult to go past 12 hours, the period of time that are liver runs out of glycogen reserves, and starts to use fats for fuel. If the body is not used to that, it really kind of howls out for some instant gratitifcation from carbohydrates. But after the body starts using fats more and more, I noticed those howls became less and less insistent. Eventually, my body got used these longer periods of time.

Over a few months, I went from struggling with 12 hours, to very comfortably doing 16-18 hours. I feel it's one of the best things I've done for myself, as my body seems to be a lot more relaxed. When I used to go for a walk before eating in the morning after not eating for 12 hours, I noticed it was somewhat difficult, as my body really wanted some fuel. Now I can go for a walk after not eating for 16-18 hours, and it's much easier.

I feel the "program" I did very gradually allowed my body to learn to use fat for fuel, and perhaps importantly for tinnitus, began to produce ketones. I once talked briefly with an ND at a prsentation she was giving, and she told me she recommends ketone supplements for people with tinnitus. I never did try that (I should), but she apprently thinks it's a good thing.

 

https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2019/11/22/jpet.119.263350

"Here, we report that BHB (ketone body) directly activates KCNQ2/3 channels"

 

@Cape crusader, I know for sure that all carbs in any form aggravate my tinnitus. But the ones that really make it worse are sugar, caffeine, alcohol, white flour, wheat flour and most processed foods. The spikes can be very nasty and can last for days.

With that said, I’ve experimented and have gone for several days with NO carbs & this hasn’t helped make the tinnitus go away.

At this point, I’m left with the sad conclusion that my tinnitus although it is aggravated by carbs, will also never go away completely. It reverts back to baseline; that is all.

 

My husband and I have both been on the keto diet for three weeks now. It seems my tinnitus is worse, and I don't know why? I will stay on it until I have lost another 5 lbs and then just continue to eat lower carbs and incorporate the Mediterranean and a little South Beach. I notice that the belly fat I am losing is so much more noticeable on Keto than any other diet I have tried. My husband is at 18 carbs a day and me 22, so it has been hard.

When you do this diet, you realize how many carbs are in the foods you are eating, and it's an eye -opener. There is a movie on Prime called "Fat Fiction" and it is worth watching if you're thinking about it. I tend to get the Keto flu often and what helps the most is Gatorade. I know it has sugar, but it works. Electrolytes are so important! I wish it would help my tinnitus, that would be so awesome!! I have had tinnitus for 13 years now....