Vitamins, minerals, and vertigo

It has long been known that diet can affect some vertigo disorders. Vitamins and minerals can help in some conditions but may not do much in other dizziness disorders. This article will break down some of the key categories of dizziness and how they respond to dietary treatments.

Read more: Vitamins, minerals, and vertigo

BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) is the most common cause of vertigo and causes brief spells of vertigo brought on by arising from bed, rolling over, or lying down quickly. It is caused by calcium crystals that become displaced from the gravity sensors and enter the spinning sensors of the inner ear. While it is simply treated with maneuvers, it has a tendency to recur. There is good evidence that vitamin D supplements can help reduce recurrences if you are deficient in this vitamin. Vitamin D insufficiency is a frequent problem in people and worsens with age.

BPPV is more common in older women, and these women also often have osteoporosis, a loss of calcium in the bones, and this responds to vitamin D supplementation. This has raised the possibility that BPPV indicates a problem in calcium metabolism similar to osteoporosis. However, treatment of osteoporosis using estrogen, calcium, or medications to restore bone density has not yet been shown to have a major effect on BPPV.

Meniere’s disease is a damaging inner ear disorder that results in violent spells of vertigo lasting hours associated with ringing in the affected ear and hearing loss that gradually becomes permanent. Vitamin D supplements do not seem to be able to prevent these spells. No simple supplements have been shown to control this disorder, although it can respond to sodium restriction as noted in the previous post.

Vestibular neuritis is a viral infection of the balance nerve in one ear. It causes severe vertigo for several days, without hearing loss and can take weeks for recovery. Since it is an infection, it is not surprising that no simple vitamin or mineral supplement can prevent it or hasten recovery.

Migraine associated dizziness is a low-grade form of dizziness in people who also have frequent severe headaches, often on one side of the head.  Taking magnesium supplements has been shown to help reduce the headaches and can help manage the dizziness.

Multisensory imbalance is responsible for the decline in balance with aging. It results from gradual declines in inner ear balance combined with visual impairments and loss of sensation in the legs and feet. Vitamins are often given for visual impairments such as macular degeneration, and B vitamins are important to maintain sensation in the limbs. Having a complete examination by a provider is important to guide decisions on supplements for these connected conditions.

In summary, then, you will benefit most from seeing a provider to look at your nutritional status, particularly vitamin D, and taking any supplements needed to help correct these deficiencies. If you have BPPV and are low in vitamin D, this will often help reduce your vertigo. There isn’t a magic supplement that can reliably control most vertigo disorders. If you have a concern about nutrition and your vertigo, a daily multivitamin may be enough to reduce the risk of deficiencies.