Categories: News

Do “supertasters” have an immunity edge when it comes to Covid-19? One study says your tastebuds may make a difference.

A recent study speculates about a possible connection between your tastebuds and Covid-19 risk. “Supertasters” are unusually sensitive to bitter flavors because they have more sensors on their tongues (they were just born that way). Research published by JAMA Network Open in late May found that among a population of 266 people who tested positive, nontasters—those who are less able to register bitter tastes—were more likely to contract coronavirus, be hospitalized, and have longer-lasting symptoms, reports National Geographic. Do tastebuds have a special line to our immune systems, or do supertasters have some, even scant, protection against the virus? Don’t slack on your precautionary measures if you find common supertaster dislikes—say, broccoli, coffee, or chocolate—to be unpalatable; it’s just one study with a very small sample size. But makes you wonder anew why many people with Covid-19 often lose the ability to smell and taste. The reason behind that isn’t settled science. And it all goes to show how little we still know about this virus that’s continuously morphing in our midst.

Related Post
The Counter
Share
Published by
The Counter

Recent Posts

Grist acquires The Counter and launches food and agriculture vertical

Grist, an award-winning, nonprofit media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices,…

6 months ago

Is California giving its methane digesters too much credit?

Every year, California dairy farms emit hundreds of thousands of tons of the potent greenhouse…

3 years ago

Your car is killing coho salmon

Highway 7 runs north-south through western Washington, carving its way through a landscape sparsely dotted…

3 years ago

The pandemic has transformed America’s dining landscape into an oligopoly dominated by chains 

One of the greatest pleasures I had as a child growing up in the Chicago…

3 years ago

California is moving toward food assistance for all populations—including undocumented immigrants

Undocumented immigrants experience food insecurity at much higher rates than other populations, yet they are…

3 years ago

Babka, borscht … and pumpkin spice? Two writers talk about Jewish identity through contemporary cookbooks.

Writer Charlotte Druckman and editor Rebecca Flint Marx are both Jewish journalists living in New…

3 years ago