Study: Smoking Lessens Taste Over Time

August 20, 2009 6:40 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - A new study confirms what has already been likely known to most smokers - cigarettes lessen taste buds' abilities over time.

Greek scientists studied 62 Greek soldiers' tongues using electrical stimulation to test the taste threshold of the men and endoscopes to measure the number and shape of a certain taste bud.

Lead researcher Pavlidis Pavlos, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said there were statistical differences detected between the taste buds of smokers and non-smokers.

The researchers said they noticed that the tongues of the 28 smokers in the group had flatter taste buds with a reduced blood supply.

The study was published in the journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders.