Washington, Aug 20 - Smokers have fewer and flatter taste buds, says a study based on an analysis of tongues of 62 Greek soldiers.

Pavlidis Pavlos led a team of researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who used electrical stimulation to test the taste threshold of the soldiers and endoscopes to measure the number and shape of a kind of taste bud called fungiform papillae.

'Statistically important differences between the taste thresholds of smokers and non-smokers were detected. Differences concerning the shape and the vascularisation of fungiform papillae were also observed,' said Pavlos.

By applying electrical current to the tongue, a unique metallic taste can be generated.