14 Feb 2025 • Self-reported taste loss from early to mid-adulthood may be an early warning sign of increased mortality risk, a study finds.

Key Findings:

• In a cohort study of over 7,300 adults aged 40 and older, those who reported a decline in taste function had a 47% higher risk of death.
• Self-reported difficulty in tasting salt (65% higher risk) and sourness (69% higher risk) was particularly associated with increased mortality.
• Interestingly, the impact varied by gender, with bitter taste loss linked to higher mortality in women and sourness loss in men.
• Notably, this association persisted even in individuals with intact smell function.

These findings highlight perceived taste decline as a potential marker for identifying high-risk individuals in clinical and public health settings.

Source: JAMA Network | Read Full Story