Weight and Taste Sensitivity are Linked, Cornell University Study

The secret to avoiding weight gain may be residing on the top of your tongue. According to a new German study, obese children have less sensitive taste buds than kids of normal weight, and that may drive them to eat more. The investigators tested the taste sensitivity of 200 children between the ages of 6 and 18, half of whom were obese. By placing special taste strips on the children's tongues they were able to measure their response to each of the five taste sensations – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory) -- at four different levels of intensity.