BEAT THE SWEET

Sugar binges blowing your diet? Your taste buds may be to blame.

Cornell University researchers, publishing in the journal Appetite, found that people with an impaired sense of taste tend to swig sweeter, higher-calorie drinks than folks whose taste buds are fully firing.

In the study, researchers had some volunteers sip an herbal tea that dulls taste receptors on the tongue. A control group downed a placebo drink. All subjects were then asked to sweeten a second drink to their liking. In the end, volunteers whose taste buds had been most impaired needed the biggest sugar hit to feel satisfied, craving an extra teaspoon of sugar in every drink.

Lead study author Robin Dando says the findings may hint at the reasons weight loss can be so challenging, as previous studies suggest that carrying extra pounds can dull a person’s sense of taste.

“It’s kind of a vicious cycle,” he says.

Other factors can cause taste impairment, too. Smoking is notorious for desensitizing the tongue — one small study in 2009 found that puffing cigarettes can physically alter taste buds. Dulled taste can also result from gum disease, certain medications and the aging process.

No matter how well-tuned your tongue is, you’d do well to keep an eye on nutrition labels to keep your sweet tooth in check. Health experts recommend that women have no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day, while men should cap their intake at 37.5 grams. Says Dando, “It’s about being aware.”