The tongue is the primary taste organ and entry point for food stimuli. Metabolic alterations and environmental compounds such as foods may affect taste cells with long-term consequences on food choices and eating habits. Taste is one important driver for food preferences, hence contributes to daily caloric intake and the development of obesity. Recent studies show that obesity is associated with alterations of taste sensitivity as well as with a loss of taste buds on the tongue. Within this project, we aim to unravel mechanisms underlying these observations, which factors changes taste cell homeostasis and how this might potentially affect eating habits.

A systematic count of taste buds helps us to identify correlations with other parameters such as anthropometric data, taste sensitivity measurements or data on eating behavior. Biopsies of taste buds are taken to gain profound insights on the (epi)genetic and molecular underpinnings of taste cell alterations in obesity. In the context of a clinical study, we will modulate food choices and analyze the mechanisms of taste bud alterations in obesity.

By doing so, we aim to modulate food choices and define novel targets for the prevention and treatment of obesity.