Low number of taste buds linked to older age, higher fasting blood sugar

[Northerner]

The number of taste buds we have on our tongue decreases as we get older, and the lower the number of taste buds, the more likely for fasting blood glucose (sugar) levels to be higher than normal, research has found. Because high fasting blood sugar level is a main characteristic of diabetes, the study findings suggest that the number of taste buds plays a role in glucose metabolism -- how the body uses sugar -- during aging, the authors proposed.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623092021.htm