Can illness really influence or even change your taste buds?
If your spinach tastes especially bitter when you’re sick, a recent study by Philadelphia researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center says your immune system may be at fault.
The center confirmed to NBC10 that patients suffering from infections, diseases and autoimmune disorders are especially sensitive to bitter flavors.
Sick people tend to produce more of the regulatory protein tumor necrosis factor or TNF, which is released by the immune system to help fight off inflammation due to an illness or disease. The protein is also responsible for increasing sensitivity to taste, making food extra bitter and far less appetizing, according to researchers.
“This protein is highly produced when people are sick and is involved in creating greater sensitivity to food taste,” lead researcher Dr. Hong Wang said. “What makes the food taste bitter are certain chemicals in the food,” she explained.
Unlike previous studies published, Wang’s research showed that the release of TNF and bad taste is not due soley to connections in the brain.
“Previous studies show that people usually blame taste on changes in the brain,” Wang said. “But our study shows it’s not just the brain. It’s also involved with your taste buds.”
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During the experiment, researchers observed that mice incapable of producing TNF were less sensitive to bitter-tasting compounds in food as opposed to mice who produced the protein regularly.
But inhibiting or completely eliminating the immune system protein may not be the best solution, Wang warned.
“We have to think about whether it is practical to use inhibitors to change our taste,” Wang said. “But we need more studies to determine that.”
Wang advised to look out for heightened sensitivity to bitterness during illness to help determine what foods cause that that taste.
“At this point, our goal is to raise awareness of bitter taste in sick people so we can think more about foods they can eat so they will be less averse to them and more palatable,” Wang said.
