Magnesium, ginkgo and zinc for tinnitus: do they really help?

In pharmacies and online there are dozens of "miraculous" supplements for tinnitus. Before you spend money, you deserve the honest answer — and that comes from the most rigorous type of evidence: Cochrane systematic reviews.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo is the most promoted ingredient for tinnitus. A Cochrane review of 12 studies with 1,543 participants finds no advantage over placebo in idiopathic tinnitus (without a clear cause). Ginkgo is reasonably safe, but that does not make it effective — its popularity is due to marketing and the strong placebo effect, not a real effect on the cause of the noise.

Zinc

Zinc is involved in the function of the auditory pathway, which seems promising. In practice, a Cochrane review of 3 studies with 209 people records subjective improvement in only 5% of the zinc group versus 2% in the placebo group — a non-significant difference. Zinc only makes sense with a proven deficiency.

Magnesium

Magnesium is popular for its role in neural function, but reliable evidence that it reduces tinnitus in people without a deficiency does not exist. As with zinc, supplementation is justified only if an analysis shows a real deficit.

Why do people say it works then?

For two reasons. First, the placebo effect in tinnitus is strong — the mere expectation of relief temporarily reduces attention to the noise. Second, tinnitus fluctuates naturally from day to day; if you start a supplement in a worse period, the subsequent improvement is easily attributed to it.

Where to direct your effort

Money and time pay off where there is evidence. Cognitive behavioural therapy reduces severity on the THI scale by approximately 10.91 points in a Cochrane review of 2,733 people. Sound therapy gives real relief, and the notched approach targets the cause itself. These are safer bets than yet another supplement.

In short

Ginkgo, zinc and magnesium are not proven remedies for tinnitus — except in the case of a real deficiency. If someone promises you a "miracle in a capsule", view it with healthy scepticism and direct your energy to the approaches that genuinely work.