In 28 people with taste loss more than a year after COVID-19, sweet, bitter, and savory signals were weaker

What the research found

Study (small human sample). Thomas Finger and colleagues, with a team organized by Göran Hellekant, report in Chemical Senses (2026; 51; DOI 10.1093/chemse/bjaf068). ScienceDaily carried it on 19 Oct 2026. They examined 28 people who had taste problems for more than a year after COVID-19 and who had not been hospitalized. Eight of the 28 had clearly abnormal taste scores. Eleven reported trouble with sweet, bitter, or umami. Salty and sour detection was largely intact. Taste-bud samples from 20 people showed less messenger RNA for PLCβ2, a protein that amplifies sweet, bitter, and umami signals. Salty and sour cells use a different route. Some buds also looked structurally disorganized. Taste cells normally turn over every two to four weeks, so the long duration is unexplained. The public summary does not give ages or the sex split. Not medical advice.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at University of Colorado Anschutz / Chemical Senses