Obesity In Mice Associated With Decrease In Number Of Taste Buds

reports a new study on mice by Cornell University researchers suggests obesity is associated with a duller sense of taste. Researchers fed mice a high fat diet that caused rapid weight gain and then counted the number of taste buds on a portion of the tongue that normally has a high density. Data show that “the obese mice wound up with 25% fewer taste buds than lean mice that were fed a normal diet.” Investigators speculate that “the chronic inflammation that obesity triggers throughout the body,” not the high fat diet by itself, was responsible for the association. The findings were published in PLOS Biology. https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2018-03-20/study-finds-obesity-robs-the-tongue-of-taste-buds-in-mice