Researchers discovered that people with Meniere’s disease—a condition affecting the inner ear that causes dizziness and hearing loss—tend to have lower vitamin D levels than healthy people. In this study of 49 patients with Meniere’s disease and 250 healthy controls, those with the disease had significantly lower vitamin D in their blood. The study also found that people with lower vitamin D levels experienced more severe hearing loss. While this doesn’t prove vitamin D deficiency causes Meniere’s disease, it suggests vitamin D may play a role in ear health and opens the door for future research into whether vitamin D supplements could help.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether people with Meniere’s disease have lower vitamin D levels than people without the disease, and whether vitamin D levels connect to how severe their hearing loss is.
  • Who participated: 49 people diagnosed with Meniere’s disease and 250 healthy people without the disease. The groups were matched so they were similar in age, health conditions, exercise habits, and when their blood was tested.
  • Key finding: People with Meniere’s disease had vitamin D levels that were about 13% lower than healthy people (18.4 ng/mL vs. 21.1 ng/mL). People with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to have Meniere’s disease. Additionally, lower vitamin D levels were moderately connected to worse hearing loss.
  • What it means for you: If you have Meniere’s disease, checking your vitamin D levels may be worth discussing with your doctor. However, this study shows a connection, not proof that low vitamin D causes the disease. More research is needed before doctors can recommend vitamin D supplements as a treatment.

The Research Details

This was a cross-sectional study, which means researchers collected information from two groups of people at one point in time and compared them. They measured vitamin D levels in the blood using a standard test called serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and they tested hearing using pure-tone audiometry—a common hearing test where you listen to different sounds at different volumes and frequencies.

The researchers carefully matched the two groups so they would be as similar as possible except for whether they had Meniere’s disease. This matching included age, existing health conditions, how much exercise people got, and even the time of year their blood was drawn (since vitamin D levels can vary seasonally). This approach helps ensure that differences between groups are more likely due to the disease itself rather than other factors.

The study was conducted at a single institution between January 2023 and January 2025, with 49 patients with Meniere’s disease compared to 250 healthy controls.

A cross-sectional study like this is useful for finding connections between two things (in this case, vitamin D levels and Meniere’s disease). By carefully matching the groups and measuring both vitamin D and hearing loss, the researchers could see whether these factors are related. This type of study is a good first step for identifying potential causes of disease, though it can’t prove that one thing causes another. The careful matching of groups strengthens the findings because it reduces the chance that other differences between people are responsible for the results.

This study has several strengths: the groups were carefully matched to be similar in important ways, the sample size was reasonable for this type of research, and the researchers adjusted their analysis for other factors that might affect the results. However, because it’s a cross-sectional study, it shows only a snapshot in time and cannot prove that low vitamin D causes Meniere’s disease. The study was conducted at a single medical center, so the results may not apply equally to all populations. The relatively small number of Meniere’s disease patients (49) means the findings should be confirmed in larger studies before drawing firm conclusions.

What the Results Show

The main finding was that people with Meniere’s disease had significantly lower vitamin D levels compared to healthy controls. On average, Meniere’s disease patients had vitamin D levels of 18.4 ng/mL, while healthy people averaged 21.1 ng/mL—a difference that was statistically significant (p = 0.006, meaning there’s less than a 1% chance this difference happened by random chance).

When researchers adjusted for other factors that might affect vitamin D levels (like age, exercise, and season), vitamin D deficiency remained independently associated with Meniere’s disease. Specifically, people with vitamin D deficiency were 2.21 times more likely to have Meniere’s disease compared to those with adequate vitamin D levels.

The study also found a moderate connection between vitamin D levels and hearing loss severity. People with lower vitamin D had worse hearing thresholds (meaning they needed louder sounds to hear them). This correlation was moderate in strength but statistically significant (ρ = -0.440, p = 0.002).

These findings suggest that vitamin D may play a role in inner ear function and hearing health, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.

The study’s careful matching of groups for demographics, comorbidities, exercise habits, and seasonal timing strengthens confidence in the primary findings. The fact that vitamin D deficiency remained associated with Meniere’s disease even after adjusting for these factors suggests the relationship isn’t simply due to lifestyle or seasonal differences. The moderate correlation between vitamin D levels and hearing loss severity indicates that vitamin D may be particularly important for protecting hearing in people with this condition.

This research builds on growing evidence that vitamin D plays a role in inner ear health. Previous studies have suggested vitamin D is important for maintaining the delicate balance of fluids and minerals in the inner ear, which is crucial for both hearing and balance. Meniere’s disease involves problems with this inner ear balance system, so the connection to vitamin D makes biological sense. However, most previous research on vitamin D and Meniere’s disease has been limited, making this study a valuable addition to the scientific literature.

This study has several important limitations. First, it’s a cross-sectional study, meaning it captures only one moment in time. This prevents researchers from determining whether low vitamin D causes Meniere’s disease, or whether Meniere’s disease somehow leads to lower vitamin D levels, or whether both are caused by something else entirely. Second, the study included only 49 Meniere’s disease patients from a single medical center, which is a relatively small sample. Results from larger, more diverse populations might differ. Third, the study didn’t measure other factors that might affect vitamin D levels or Meniere’s disease, such as diet, sun exposure, or genetic factors. Finally, because this is an observational study rather than an experiment, we cannot conclude that vitamin D supplements would help treat Meniere’s disease.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, people with Meniere’s disease may want to discuss vitamin D testing with their doctor. If vitamin D deficiency is found, supplementation might be worth considering, though this study alone doesn’t prove it will help. The evidence is moderate—this is one study showing a connection, not definitive proof of benefit. Anyone considering vitamin D supplements should consult their healthcare provider, especially if they’re taking other medications or have kidney or heart conditions. General vitamin D recommendations for adults are 600-800 IU daily, though some people may need more based on blood tests.

People with Meniere’s disease should pay attention to these findings and consider discussing vitamin D levels with their doctor. People with hearing loss or balance problems might also find this relevant. However, this study doesn’t apply to people without Meniere’s disease—having low vitamin D doesn’t mean you’ll develop the condition. Healthcare providers treating Meniere’s disease patients should be aware of this potential connection. People considering vitamin D supplements should talk to their doctor first, particularly if they have kidney disease, heart disease, or take medications that interact with vitamin D.

If vitamin D deficiency is identified and supplementation is started, it typically takes several weeks to months to see changes in vitamin D blood levels. However, this study doesn’t tell us how long it would take to see improvements in hearing or balance symptoms, or whether supplementation would help at all. Any benefits would likely develop gradually over months rather than days or weeks. More research is needed to determine realistic timelines for symptom improvement.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your vitamin D supplementation (if recommended by your doctor) by logging daily doses, and record your hearing symptoms weekly using a simple scale (1-10) for how well you hear in different situations. Also note any balance or dizziness symptoms.
  • If your doctor recommends vitamin D supplementation, set a daily reminder to take it at the same time each day. Consider tracking your vitamin D intake through the app and scheduling regular check-ins with your healthcare provider to retest vitamin D levels every 3-6 months.
  • Create a long-term tracking system that monitors vitamin D supplementation adherence, seasonal changes in symptoms, hearing quality in different environments, and balance/dizziness episodes. Share this data with your healthcare provider during regular visits to assess whether supplementation is helping your Meniere’s disease symptoms.

This research shows a connection between low vitamin D and Meniere’s disease, but does not prove that vitamin D deficiency causes the condition or that supplements will treat it. This article is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. If you have Meniere’s disease or hearing loss, consult with your doctor or ear specialist before starting any supplements or making changes to your treatment plan. Do not stop taking prescribed medications without medical guidance. People with certain medical conditions (kidney disease, heart disease, high blood calcium) should be especially careful about vitamin D supplementation and must consult their healthcare provider first.