PHILADELPHIA — Childhood ear infections may not just put hearing at risk. Kids who get them may develop a strong affinity for fatty foods and could be predisposed to obesity, surveys now suggest.

A series of new studies presented this month by taste and hearing experts suggests that repeated infections may damage a vital taste-sensing nerve in kids, perking a preference for rich foods and ...

Three nerves carry taste signals to the brain stem: the chorda tympani nerve (from the front of the tongue), the glossopharyngeal nerve (from the back of the tongue) and the vagus nerve (from the ...