What is the best magnesium for hearing loss in the UK?

First, the part that cannot wait

Sudden hearing loss in one ear, with or without ringing or dizziness, is treated as an emergency because the treatments that help work best within days. That is a same-day call to a GP or urgent care, not a supplement decision. Gradual hearing loss, ringing after loud sessions that does not fade, or muffled hearing after a gym with the music at nightclub volume are GP matters too, with a hearing test. Nothing on this page replaces any of that, and no magnesium product in the UK can claim anything about hearing.

What the noise studies found

Attias and colleagues studied Israeli military recruits exposed to weapon noise. In 1994 they gave 167mg of magnesium a day as aspartate for two months and found less permanent noise-induced hearing loss than placebo. In 2004 they exposed volunteers to loud noise after a magnesium dose and found smaller temporary threshold shifts, the dulled hearing that follows a loud exposure, than after placebo. Both are small, both used modest doses, and both are about protecting hearing during noise, not restoring hearing that has gone. The proposed mechanism is the same one that runs through the rest of this site: magnesium steadies nerve cells and blood flow in the inner ear, and a low intake leaves them more vulnerable.

What that means for a lifter

Gyms are loud. Dropped plates, music and a treadmill row can sit above the level at which hearing damage accumulates over years, and lifters who also use headphones at full volume to drown the gym out are adding to it. The honest use of the noise studies is this: hearing protection and volume are the interventions with real effect, and keeping magnesium at the reference intake is a cheap, plausible addition for someone whose intake was low. Training raises losses, as Nielsen and Lukaski's review documents, so a low intake is not unusual. The authorised claims for magnesium, normal functioning of the nervous system among them, describe the ground; they do not mention ears, and neither does any honest label.

Which magnesium, if you are taking it anyway

Glycinate, for the same reasons as every other page here: 300mg elemental in a form you absorb and tolerate daily. The worked example, Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, gives that from 1500mg chelated bisglycinate in 2 capsules, 80% NRV, from a vegan capsule made in the UK under GMP and BRC certification and third-party tested for heavy metals and microbiology, 180 capsules for £19.99, 22p a day. The noise studies used aspartate at a lower dose; the form is not the point, the intake is. Take it with the evening meal, wear earplugs on plate-dropping days, and treat any change in hearing as the medical matter it is.

What to check on the label

Questions people also ask

Can magnesium reverse hearing loss?

No. Two small trials in noise-exposed soldiers found less noise-induced damage with magnesium; nothing shows restored hearing, and no claim is authorised.

Does magnesium help tinnitus?

There is no reliable trial evidence and no authorised claim. Persistent ringing is a GP and hearing-test matter.

Which magnesium did the hearing studies use?

Magnesium aspartate at 167mg a day in the 1994 recruit study. The form is not the point; the intake is.

Is the gym loud enough to damage hearing?

Some are, particularly with headphones at full volume on top. Earplugs designed for music and lower volume are the interventions with evidence.

What should I do about sudden hearing loss in one ear?

Same-day GP or urgent care. Treatment works best within days; it is not a supplement question.

Sources

1. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate listing, Amazon UK, label and price checked 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BT7Z5VQW
2. Attias J, Weisz G, Almog S, et al. Oral magnesium intake reduces permanent hearing loss induced by noise exposure. American Journal of Otolaryngology 1994;15(1):26-32. PubMed record
3. Attias J, Sapir S, Bresloff I, Reshef-Haran I, Ising H. Reduction in noise-induced temporary threshold shift in humans following oral magnesium intake. Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences 2004;29(6):635-641. PubMed record
4. Nielsen FH, Lukaski HC. Update on the relationship between magnesium and exercise. Magnesium Research 2006;19(3):180-189. PubMed record
5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1807
6. Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals. Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals. Food Standards Agency, 2003 (magnesium guidance level 400mg a day from supplements). https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/vitmin2003.pdf

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