Editorial
How taste changes when appetite drops
Two studies from 2025 looked at what happens to the sense of taste in people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro). This is what they found, with the numbers as published.
1. The survey: one in five say food tastes sweeter or saltier
A cross-sectional survey presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Vienna (15 to 19 September 2025) asked 411 adults with overweight or obesity who were taking one of the three medications about appetite and taste. 148 were on Ozempic, 217 on Wegovy and 46 on Mounjaro; 69.6% were women.
- 21.3% said food tasted sweeter than before.
- 22.6% said food tasted saltier than before.
- No change was reported for bitterness or sourness.
- 58.4% reported decreased appetite and 63.5% reported feeling full sooner.
Self-reported, cross-sectional, no control group. Lead author Othmar Moser, University of Bayreuth. Reported by ScienceDaily, 15 September 2025.
2. The lab test: all five basic tastes measured lower
Khan and Doty at the University of Pennsylvania Smell and Taste Center gave a 53-item taste test (WETT) and a 40-item smell test (UPSIT) to 46 people taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist and 46 matched controls.
- Mean taste score 28.61 in the medication group against 40.63 in controls (p < 0.001).
- 85% of the medication group scored worse than their individually matched control.
- All five taste subtests (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) were affected.
- Smell was slightly lower on average but the difference was not significant (p = 0.076).
Small sample, case-control design. The authors state the physiological basis is unknown. The senior author declares a financial interest in the company that makes the tests used.
What the two together suggest
The survey says a minority notice food tasting different. The lab study says the measured change is broader than people report, and points in the direction of everything tasting a little less. Those two findings are not in conflict: a gradual dulling is easy to miss, and when a plate reads as flat the instinctive fix is more salt, more sugar or more sauce.
For someone eating smaller plates, that matters. The practical response is to build flavour from acid, herbs, aromatics, texture and temperature rather than from the three things that add calories back. It is a cooking question, not a medical one.
Sources
- Moser O et al. Real-world insights into incretin-based therapy: associations between changes in taste perception and appetite regulation in individuals with obesity and overweight: a cross-sectional study. EASD Annual Meeting, Vienna, 15 to 19 September 2025. Summary: ScienceDaily 250915202848.
- Khan R, Doty RL. GLP-1 receptor agonists significantly impair taste function. Physiol Behav 2025;291:114793. doi 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114793. PubMed 39722367.
Methodology: numbers are quoted as published; no pooling, no re-analysis. Last reviewed 2026-09-21.
Straight answers
Does everyone on these medications notice a taste change?+
No. In the Vienna survey roughly one in five respondents reported food tasting sweeter (21.3%) or saltier (22.6%). The Pennsylvania lab study found a measurable drop in taste scores in most participants, but people often do not notice a gradual change themselves.
Is the change permanent?+
Neither study followed people after stopping. The mechanism is unknown. Ask your clinician; this page is a summary of two papers, not advice.
Is it the sense of smell or the sense of taste?+
In the Pennsylvania study taste scores fell significantly while smell scores fell only slightly and not significantly. The effect was on all five basic taste qualities.
Why does this matter for how I cook?+
If food reads as duller, the usual response is more salt, more sugar or more sauce. On a small plate that is where the calories creep back in. Building flavour from acid, herbs, aromatics and texture instead is the practical answer.