How drugs like Ozempic are messing with people’s smell and taste

GLP-1 meds could be stifling your senses.

The drugs, originally developed to manage diabetes, have exploded in use after being approved to treat obesity, with as many as 1 in 8 adults currently taking the jab.

But those lean-seeking masses could end up losing more than just their apple bottoms, as new research suggests the meds can mess with both taste and smell.

Although various adverse side effects, including gastrointestinal disturbances, sagging jowls, sulfurous burping and other issues have been reported among GLP-1 users, there has been limited research or reporting about their potential impact on smell and taste perception.

This latest study, published in the JAMA Network, drew on electronic health records of people aged 18 or older with type 2 diabetes — and no previous record of smell or taste disturbances.

Over a period ranging from 2 months to 3 years, researchers found that those on GLP-1 meds like Ozempic or Mounjaro had an increased risk of changes to their smell and taste compared with those who did not take them.

Common changes includes anosmia (loss of smell), parosmia (where pleasant scents smell bad or chemical) and parageusia (where things taste wrong, or there is a phantom flavor when you’re not tasting anything) — as well as other and unspecified changes.

“This study suggests that GLP-1RA therapy is associated with a higher risk of smell and taste disturbance, highlighting the need for closer monitoring and greater public health awareness,” the study authors wrote.

Researchers said the effects of GLP-1s on these sensory functions could be linked to the drugs’ absorption into the nervous system.

“These findings align with evidence that GLP-1 is widely expressed and secreted within the nervous system, supporting potential effects in either the central or peripheral nervous system,” the researchers wrote.

They called on future research to validate their findings and explore how these changes might happen.

Experts maintain that weight loss, the constant companion of GLP-1 meds, can also affect a person’s sense of taste and smell. While there are no known treatments for temporary changes in taste and smell, the senses typically return when weight stabilizes.

According to the NHS, an estimated 12% of people in the United States suffer from some sort of smell dysfunction, with the issue disproportionately affecting older adults.

A 2025 study of more than 5,000 older adults found that a poor sense of smell is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease within four years.

Meanwhile, losing your smell has also been identified as an early sign of dementia.

On the tongue tip, an estimated 19% of Americans report changes in their sense of taste as they get older, which could be cause for alarm, as research suggests that loss of taste could be a signal of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, as well as cardiovascular ones like heart failure and stroke.

Taste dysfunction could also negatively impact one’s eating habits — losing your taste for salt, for example, could lead to excessive salt intake and elevated blood pressure, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases. 

And for some, the loss of taste or smell can have severe consequences if, for example, they can’t smell a gas leak or a house fire.

Experts recommend talking to your doctor about any differences in sensory function.