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Many medications come with the risk of side effects, but the latest research has identified a possible link between GLP-1 medications and changes in smell and taste. The study, which was published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, makes a case for paying close attention to how well you can smell and taste after using one of these medications. And while it seems random, some doctors say it’s not as out-there as you’d think. “I have noticed patients after surgical weight loss have similar findings of changes in taste and smell,” says Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center.
What’s behind this? Here’s what doctors say.
Meet the experts: Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center; Jonathan Zontag, lead study author and a researcher at Hebrew University; Paul Frake, MD, an otolaryngologist at ENT & Allergy Associates Northeast Philadelphia; and Caroline Apovian, MD, co-director at the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
What did the study find?
For the observational study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 877,000 people with type 2 diabetes and followed patients for two years. After crunching the data, they discovered that participants who used GLP-1 medications had an 81 percent higher relative risk of developing issues with their sense of smell, and a 52 percent higher risk of developing problems with their sense of taste compared to participants who took other diabetes medications.
“This study suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy is associated with a higher risk of smell and taste disturbance, highlighting the need for closer monitoring and greater public health awareness,” the researchers wrote, before stressing that future research is needed.
Why might GLP-1s affect taste and smell?
It’s important to note that the study just found a link between being on a GLP-1 medication and having trouble with taste or smell—it did not say that GLP-1s cause these issues. With that, it’s possible that this is just a random coincidence, says Paul Frake, MD, an otolaryngologist at ENT & Allergy Associates Northeast Philadelphia.
It’s also not entirely clear at this point what could be behind this. “Future studies are needed to better understand this association,” says Jonathan Zontag, lead study author and a researcher at Hebrew University.
Still, there are a few theories. A big one is that these medications impact hormones, which “have wide-ranging effects throughout the body,” Dr. Ali says. “That could possibly affect smell and taste,” he says.
Caroline Apovian, MD, co-director at the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital, agrees that hormones may be at play. “It could be much like what happens in pregnancy, where there are hormonal changes that affect these receptors,” she says.
Weight loss itself also leads to changes in hormones, which could also contribute to changes in these senses, Dr. Ali adds.
How quickly do these changes develop?
It’s not clear if this comes on suddenly or gradually. “It could be individual, but I would think it most likely is gradual,” says Dr. Apovian.
But Zontag points out that it’s hard to say from these findings alone. “We could only identify the clinical diagnosis of smell and taste abnormalities,” he says.
Is it permanent?
We don’t know yet. What doctors do know is that you should get this checked out if it happens to you—whether you’re taking a GLP-1 or not. “If you are experiencing loss of sense of smell or other changes in sense of smell, an evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat doctor is recommended,” Dr. Frake says.
