Greek researchers published a study in which they described a significant decrease in taste ability in smokers compared to non-smokers. In the study titled "Evaluation of young smokers and non-smokers with electrogustometry and contact endoscopy," 62 male Greek soldiers were evaluated for smoking and taste by using two different instruments called electrogustometry (measures taste thresholds) and contact endoscopy (wich evaluated the morphology and density of papillae on the tongue's tip).
This study could explain why smokers not only complain of decreased sense of taste, but also change in the way things taste (dysgeusia).
Click here to read the study abstract.
