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.
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