Key TakeawaysSome users of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have reported changes in their taste perception.Emerging research supports these anecdotal claims, suggesting a possible link between the semaglutide and taste sensitivity.Experts say the primary mechanisms through which semaglutide helps with weight management are still appetite suppression and delayed gastric emptying.
Key Takeaways
Some users of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have reported changes in their taste perception.Emerging research supports these anecdotal claims, suggesting a possible link between the semaglutide and taste sensitivity.Experts say the primary mechanisms through which semaglutide helps with weight management are still appetite suppression and delayed gastric emptying.
People have sometimes reported changes in their taste after starting GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, and emerging research is finding some evidence to support these claims.
A proof-of-conceptstudypresented at the annual Endocrine Society meeting found that semaglutide, the active ingredient inOzempicandWegovy, improved participants’ taste sensitivity.
The study included 30 women with obesity. Over 16 weeks, participants were randomized to receive a once-weekly 1.0 mg dose of semaglutide or a placebo. Researchers used various methods—including tongue strips with different concentrations of the four basic tastes, tongue tissue biopsies, and MRI brain scans—to study changes in taste sensitivity, taste bud gene expression, and brain responses to sweets.
Researchers found that semaglutide improved sensitivity to the four basic tastes—salty, sweet, sour, and bitter—and increased the brain’s response to sweets. However, these early findings don’t confirm that people taking semaglutide won’t crave sweets, according to Mojca Jensterle Sever, PhD, first author of the study and a professor of endocrinology at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Wegovy vs. Ozempic: How Are They Different?
Previous studies have found that people with obesity experience decreased taste sensitivity. Researchers have hypothesized that targeting taste buds could be a new way to treat or manage obesity,but there’s still much to learn about this potential mechanism.
“Although there are receptors in the taste buds, it will be important to clearly differentiate the local actions of GLP-1 signaling in taste buds from this hormone’s other systemic effects in order to fully understand how hormonal modulation of taste impacts dietary intake,”Priya Jaisinghani, MD, a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, endocrinology, and obesity medicine and clinical assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Verywell in an email.
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Andres Splenser, MD, an endocrinologist affiliated with Memorial Hermann in Houston, said a patient told him that the “food noise”—the constant thoughts about food—has disappeared after taking semaglutide.
“Patients haven’t reported to me that food tastes different or whether they notice any taste changes, but they just have less interest in eating foods that usually are attractive to people,” Splenser said.
He added that semaglutide could help reduce food cravings, which might be a more powerful weight management agent than a change in taste sensitivity. Research on the connection between semaglutide and taste perception might not lead to an additional breakthrough for weight loss.
Jensterle Sever, the author of the study on taste, said that even if semaglutide does influence taste preference, this mechanism would likely only lead to an insignificant amount of weight loss.
“The key mechanisms of action of incretin-based therapy in the treatment of obesity remain appetite suppression and better control of eating through the homeostatic centers and the reward circuitry in the hypothalamus and midbrain,” she said.
4 Foods to Avoid While on Ozempic or Wegovy
What This Means For YouIf you’re using or considering GLP-1 medications for weight management, it’s possible you might experience changes in your taste perception. While this might affect how you enjoy certain foods, the primary benefit of these medications remains their ability to reduce appetite and control food cravings.
What This Means For You
If you’re using or considering GLP-1 medications for weight management, it’s possible you might experience changes in your taste perception. While this might affect how you enjoy certain foods, the primary benefit of these medications remains their ability to reduce appetite and control food cravings.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rohde K, Schamarek I, Blüher M.Consequences of obesity on the sense of taste: taste buds as treatment targets?Diabetes Metab J. 2020;44(4):509. doi:10.4093/dmj.2020.0058MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rohde K, Schamarek I, Blüher M.Consequences of obesity on the sense of taste: taste buds as treatment targets?Diabetes Metab J. 2020;44(4):509. doi:10.4093/dmj.2020.0058MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Rohde K, Schamarek I, Blüher M.Consequences of obesity on the sense of taste: taste buds as treatment targets?Diabetes Metab J. 2020;44(4):509. doi:10.4093/dmj.2020.0058MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.
Rohde K, Schamarek I, Blüher M.Consequences of obesity on the sense of taste: taste buds as treatment targets?Diabetes Metab J. 2020;44(4):509. doi:10.4093/dmj.2020.0058
MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.
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