Tasty news

Image of women of a hot cup of tea.

Print on Demand

What we view as the sense of taste is actually a combination of smell, taste, and texture, with smell playing a major role. A single taste bud can have dozens of receptor cells that send signals of sour, sweet, salty, and bitter through nerve channels to the brain.

 

The tongue is covered with taste buds, and the back of the mouth is sensitive to bitter tastes—perhaps as a last-ditch chance to expel something toxic. Taste also plays a role in digestion, preparing the stomach for a meal.

 

But one of the most interesting things about taste, according to University of Virginia neuroscientist David Hill, is that taste cells regenerate, or turn over, about every 10 days, much like skin cells.

 

Burn your tongue? No worries; those cells will regrow and you’ll regain your normal sense of taste within days.

This website is not meant to substitute for expert medical advice or treatment. Follow your doctor’s or health care provider’s advice if it differs from what is given in this guide.

 

The American Institute for Preventive Medicine (AIPM) is not responsible for the availability or content of external sites, nor does AIPM endorse them. Also, it is the responsibility of the user to examine the copyright and licensing restrictions of external pages and to secure all necessary permission.

 

The content on this website is proprietary. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute, in any manner, the material on the website without the written permission of AIPM.