Explained: Can weight-loss injections change how food tastes?

A new study has found that weight loss injections such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro may change how people experience the taste of food.

According to the research, about one in five people said they had become more sensitive to sweet and salty flavours.

The findings were presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna and also published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

So, what does the study say?

Let’s take a look:

How weight loss jabs affect the way food tastes

New research has found that while the effect of weight loss jabs on reducing appetite is already known, these anti-obesity drugs may also change how food tastes for many users.

Scientists studied 411 people currently using the jabs and found that one in five said they had become more sensitive to sugar and salt.

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Among the participants, 69.6 per cent were women. Of them, 148 were on Ozempic, 217 on Wegovy and 46 on Mounjaro, Daily Mail reported.

The average treatment period was 43 weeks for Ozempic, 40 weeks for Wegovy and 47 weeks for Mounjaro.

The German researchers found that overall, 21 per cent said food tasted sweeter, while 22.6 per cent said it tasted saltier.

Specifically, 26 per cent of people taking Wegovy said food tasted more salty than before, compared to 16.2 per cent of those on Ozempic and 15.2 per cent on Mounjaro.

The average treatment period was 43 weeks for Ozempic, 40 weeks for Wegovy and 47 weeks for Mounjaro. Reuters/File Photo

Reports of increased sweetness were similar across all jabs, with 21.7 per cent of Mounjaro users, 21.6 per cent of Ozempic users and 19.4 per cent of Wegovy users experiencing it.

All 411 participants had been on one of the jabs for at least three months and had body mass index (BMI) scores between 35 and 36.

Average weight loss was 17.4 per cent for those on Ozempic, 17.6 per cent for those on Wegovy and 15.5 per cent for those on Mounjaro.

Participants were asked if their sense of taste had changed since starting treatment, along with questions on appetite, satiety, food cravings and lifestyle habits such as smoking.

Those on Wegovy were most likely to report food tasting more salty, with 26.7 per cent saying so. It was 16.2 per cent for those on Ozempic and 15.2 per cent for those on Mounjaro.

For sweetness, the increase was similar across all jabs, with 19.4 per cent of Wegovy users, 21.6 per cent of Ozempic users and 21.7 per cent of Mounjaro users noticing the change.

There was also a sharp drop in "food cravings", ranging from 41.3 per cent among Mounjaro users to 29.7 per cent among those on Ozempic.

What did the researchers say?

Lead scientist Othmar Moser from the University of Bayreuth said these drugs also act on taste bud cells and on parts of the brain that process taste and reward.

He said, “This means they can subtly change how strong flavours, like sweetness or saltiness, are perceived. This, in turn, may affect appetite.”

Reports of increased sweetness were similar across all jabs, with 19.4 per cent of Wegovy users experiencing it. Reuters/File Photo

He added, “Shifts in taste may affect how satisfying or appealing food feels in the moment, which influences appetite control.”

This comes as a separate study found that weight loss injections could also work for children as young as six who are obese or have Type 2 Diabetes.

Researchers in the United States reviewed 18 trials involving 1,402 children aged six to 17 and found the drugs “significantly improved” blood sugar control and weight in obese children and those with type 2 diabetes.