A recent study reveals that weight loss injections can heighten the perception of saltiness and sweetness in food. The research, which involved 411 individuals receiving appetite-suppressing shots such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Ozempic, found that approximately 20% reported increased sensitivity to sugar and salt.
Lead researcher Prof Othmar Moser from the University of Bayreuth in Germany explained that these medications not only target the gut and brain areas controlling hunger but also impact taste bud cells and brain regions processing taste and reward. Consequently, the drugs can subtly alter the perception of strong flavors like sweetness and saltiness, potentially influencing appetite.
Among the participants, 21.3% noted that their food tasted sweeter, while 22.6% perceived it as saltier. Notably, their perception of bitterness and sourness remained unchanged. Wegovy users were more likely to experience increased saltiness in their food, with 26.7% of participants on these injections reporting this effect, compared to 16.2% in the Ozempic group and 15.2% in the Mounjaro group.
Prof Moser emphasized that changes in taste could impact how satisfying or appealing food feels at the moment, affecting appetite regulation. However, weight loss is influenced by various factors such as metabolism, long-term eating habits, and physical activity, indicating that taste alterations alone may not directly drive body weight reduction.
The study results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna and published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. These weight loss drugs, which mimic the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1 hormone, were initially developed to treat diabetes and are now approved for weight loss in obese patients under the branded names Wegovy and Mounjaro. Although available on the NHS for weight loss, limited capacity means most individuals in the UK using these injections are paying for them privately.
Separate research suggested that weight loss injections could benefit obese or type 2 diabetic children as young as six, although stomach issues were more common among the young recipients. Presently, weight loss injections are exclusively prescribed for adults on the NHS.
In the US, experts conducted a review of 18 trials involving 1,402 youngsters aged six to 17, showing significant improvements in glycaemic control and weight for obese children and those with type 2 diabetes using GLP-1 hormone-mimicking drugs. However, some individuals experienced side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
Overall, the findings shed light on the potential impact of weight loss injections on taste perception and their effectiveness in managing weight and metabolic conditions.