Taste and Ear Infections

Chronic middle-ear infections with fluid may be associated with alterations in children's taste buds. HealthDay (3/21, Gardner) reported that, according to a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, "chronic middle-ear infections with fluid are linked to alterations in children's taste buds that change their sensitivity to certain foods. This, in turn, might cause kids to eat more of these foods and push them towards obesity," researchers theorized. In a study of 42 children with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) and 42 children without OME, researchers found not only that the youngsters with chronic OME were heavier, but also "had reduced taste in the front part of the tongue, in particular, leading to a raised threshold for sweet and salt tastes." Medscape (3/21, Kling) also covered the story.