Annually, over five million children suffer with ear infections. A new study has found that childhood ear infections could damage taste nerves and increase the risk for obesity.
"When ear infection pathogens damage the main sensory taste nerve it can intensify sensations produced by fatty foods. This heightens the preference for those foods and can lead to weight gain, [Linda] Bartoshuk said."
University of Florida researchers found that children who had had ear infections were 14 percent more likely to enjoy sweet foods than those without ear infections. They also like high-fat foods 18 percent more than those without ear infections. Source: MediLexicon
Labels: ear-infections, fatty-foods, side-effects