Coffee is one of our favorite drinks. And not just because of the taste.

Health Watch readers may recall that drinking coffee may help preserve your vision. It may also shield your liver from cancer and fibrosis. This morning treat is also a great way to get your blood moving. Coffee can even help you avoid cognitive decline. And the perks keep coming…

A new study in the American Journal of Medicine reveals yet another reason to enjoy this beverage each morning. But it’s not exactly something you’d expect… It even surprised us.

A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked over 65,000 women over the course of 18 years. Researchers found that women who drank the most coffee lowered their chance of developing this common problem by at least 15%. How common? It affects one in five people.

You may think this condition is just another symptom of aging… But the truth is that you can control your risk for developing it. And in the process, preserve one of your most essential senses as you get older.

Tinnitus can rob you of your hearing. It isn’t technically a condition… But it is a symptom of other ear conditions. These include circulatory disorders, injury, and age-related hearing loss.

It causes problems like buzzing and ringing in the ears. It can also lead to phantom noises—like clicking, hissing, and even roaring.1 The good news is that drinking coffee may help prevent it.

Researchers found that women who drank at least 150 mg of caffeine a day—roughly the amount in a single cup of coffee—were 15% less likely to develop tinnitus after 18 years. Women who drank 450 mg of caffeine—about three cups of coffee—or more daily reduced their risk by 21%.2 But researchers can’t explain why.

According to the authors, caffeine stimulates the nervous system. It also affects inner-ear function. They say to understand exactly how it works, they’ll need to do more research.3 But the answer seems pretty simple.

Tinnitus—and other hearing issues—can be the result of oxidative stress and inflammation. And acoustic damage can make matters worse. One study found that industrial workers exposed to intense noise had higher concentrations of free radicals circulating in their ears.4

Drinking coffee doesn’t just improve circulation… It also provides you with over 1,000 antioxidant compounds. This could be your secret for keeping your hearing loud and clear as the years go by. Just be careful where your morning cup comes from.

Choose quality organic sources. Try to buy whole beans when you can to avoid any nasty surprise fillers in cheap ground varieties.5

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References:
1http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/16506/20140808/study-ties-intake-of-coffee-to-lower-incidence-of-tinnitus.htm
2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24608016
3http://brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/pressreleases/PressRelease.aspx?sub=0&PageID=1847
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808688/
5http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/08/12/your-coffee-may-not-be-just-coffee/