Smoking Snuffs Out Taste Buds

VERIA, Greece—Smoking leads to decreased taste acuity in comparison to non-smokers, according to a study published in BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders.

Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki studied the tongues of 62 Greek soldiers to see how cigarettes dull taste buds. Thirty-four were non-smokers and 28 were smokers. All of the smokers used to hold the cigarette on the centre of their lips. Taste thresholds of the participants were measured with Electrogustometry (EGM). The morphology and the density of their fungiform papillae (fPap) on the tongue's tip were examined with Contact Endoscopy (CE).

There was statistically important difference (P<0.05) between the taste thresholds of the two groups. Not all smokers showed elevated taste thresholds. Twenty-one percent showed taste thresholds similar to those of non-smokers. Differences concerning the shape and the vessels of the fungiform papillae between the groups also were detected. Fewer and flatter fPap were found in 79 percent of smokers.