Still Can’t Taste Your Food After Covid? This Protein May Explain Why

You Should Know: Remember years ago, when everyone was scared of losing their sense of taste because of COVID? Fortunately, most people who lose it after falling ill get it back within months. A small group, though, has never gotten it back, which has puzzled scientists since taste cells replace themselves every few weeks. But new research offers the first direct biological clue as to why this happens.

Going Deeper: Smell and taste problems hit harder early in the pandemic, affecting about one in five infected people versus roughly 4% with new variants like Omicron. In 28 people with taste troubles lasting over a year, scientists found lower levels of the genetic instructions for PLCβ2, a protein that amplifies taste signals headed to the brain. Keep in mind, though, the study was small with no control group.

Takeaway: Current treatments mostly target smell, since the nose detects flavor, but this discovery of a signaling problem may lead to a more effective route for treating taste loss.

Bottom Line: Lingering taste loss, while rare, affected about 17 million U.S. adults in 2024. This study offers hope to those living with it that a real treatment may be on the horizon.