Adults who reported perceived taste loss from early adulthood to mid-to-late adulthood faced a 47% higher risk of all-cause mortality, according to a recent study. 

Researchers conducted a cohort study investigating the association between perceived taste loss from early adulthood to mid-to-late adulthood and all-cause mortality. This population-based cohort study analyzed data from 7,340 U.S. adults aged 40 years and older using information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 2011 and 2014. Mortality outcomes were determined through linkage with the National Death Index through December 31, 2019. The primary exposure was self-reported decline in taste perception, including the ability to detect four basic tastes: salt, sourness, sweetness, and bitterness, compared with perceived taste ability at age 25. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Data analysis occurred from May 6 to July 22, 2024.

Of the total participants, 662 (weighted 8.9%) reported a subjective decline in taste function. Over a median follow-up period of 6.67 years (interquartile range = 5.67-7.83), 1,011 deaths were recorded. Using multivariable Cox regression models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, the researchers identified a 47% increased risk of all-cause mortality among participants who perceived a loss of taste function compared with those who did not (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-2.03).

Published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, further analysis indicated that perceived loss in the ability to taste salt and sourness was significantly associated with higher mortality risk. Loss of salt perception was linked to a 65% increased mortality risk (aHR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.21-2.26), while diminished sourness perception was associated with a 69% increased risk (aHR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.19-2.40). Sex-specific analyses revealed that a decline in the ability to taste bitterness was associated with increased mortality in female participants (aHR = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.05-2.53), whereas decreased sourness perception correlated with higher mortality in male participants (aHR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.03-2.75).

Additionally, the researchers led by Ruixin Zhu, PhD, of Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University in Beijing, China, found that the mortality risk associated with perceived taste loss was not mitigated by preserved smell function. Among participants without perceived smell loss, subjective taste loss remained significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality (aHR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.12-2.40). These findings suggest that perceived taste loss, particularly in detecting salt and sourness, may serve as a simple yet valuable indicator for identifying populations at increased mortality risk in clinical and public health settings.

The researchers reported no conflicts of interest related to this study.