People suffering from obesity display alterations in taste sensitivity and eating behavior, along with impaired saliva production and oral health. This project focuses on small particles found in saliva, the extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing regulatory factors, which might influence the function of the taste epithelium. The type, amount and content of salivary extracellular vesicles in people with obesity might be altered and may potentially contribute to taste bud physiology with consequences on taste signaling but also on whole body metabolism.

The project aims to uncover alterations in the type and composition of EVs in relation to bodyweight and weight loss and if certain components of EVs play a role in taste cell function and eating behavior. The gain of knowledge derived from this project will boost our understanding how obesity influences our sense of taste and how taste mediated food choices might be rearranged in the future to prevent and treat obesity.