Taste aversion as an under-recognized determinant of bowel preparation quality
Abdulrasak, Mohammed LU
(2026)
In Frontiers in Medicine
13.
p.1-3
- Abstract
Inadequate bowel preparation remains a major barrier to high-quality colonoscopy, with taste aversion representing a common yet under-recognized contributor to poor tolerability of the bowel preparation. Current strategies primarily aim to improve palatability through formulation changes or dosing regimens. This paper proposes a novel, hypothesis-driven approach: transient pharmacologic suppression of gustatory perception using topical oral lidocaine to reduce the perceived unpleasantness of bowel preparation solutions. The concept arises from a serendipitous clinical observation in which tongue-focused lidocaine application enabled successful oral intake in a patient with repeated prior intolerance. By targeting taste perception... (More)
Inadequate bowel preparation remains a major barrier to high-quality colonoscopy, with taste aversion representing a common yet under-recognized contributor to poor tolerability of the bowel preparation. Current strategies primarily aim to improve palatability through formulation changes or dosing regimens. This paper proposes a novel, hypothesis-driven approach: transient pharmacologic suppression of gustatory perception using topical oral lidocaine to reduce the perceived unpleasantness of bowel preparation solutions. The concept arises from a serendipitous clinical observation in which tongue-focused lidocaine application enabled successful oral intake in a patient with repeated prior intolerance. By targeting taste perception directly rather than modifying the preparation itself, this approach may offer a complementary strategy for selected patients. Further evaluation is required to assess feasibility, safety, and clinical effectiveness.
(Less)
- author
- Abdulrasak, Mohammed
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- bedside observation, bowel preparation, colonoscopy quality, taste aversion, topical lidocaine
- in
- Frontiers in Medicine
- volume
- 13
- article number
- 1803366
- pages
- 3 pages
- publisher
- Frontiers Media S. A.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105041130328
- pmid:42180733
- ISSN
- 2296-858X
- DOI
- 10.3389/fmed.2026.1803366
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 0c400b31-fced-475e-88dd-042e07c49e52
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-16 12:48:52
- date last changed
- 2026-09-17 03:09:34
@article{0c400b31-fced-475e-88dd-042e07c49e52,
abstract = {{<p>Inadequate bowel preparation remains a major barrier to high-quality colonoscopy, with taste aversion representing a common yet under-recognized contributor to poor tolerability of the bowel preparation. Current strategies primarily aim to improve palatability through formulation changes or dosing regimens. This paper proposes a novel, hypothesis-driven approach: transient pharmacologic suppression of gustatory perception using topical oral lidocaine to reduce the perceived unpleasantness of bowel preparation solutions. The concept arises from a serendipitous clinical observation in which tongue-focused lidocaine application enabled successful oral intake in a patient with repeated prior intolerance. By targeting taste perception directly rather than modifying the preparation itself, this approach may offer a complementary strategy for selected patients. Further evaluation is required to assess feasibility, safety, and clinical effectiveness.</p>}},
author = {{Abdulrasak, Mohammed}},
issn = {{2296-858X}},
keywords = {{bedside observation; bowel preparation; colonoscopy quality; taste aversion; topical lidocaine}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{1--3}},
publisher = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
series = {{Frontiers in Medicine}},
title = {{Taste aversion as an under-recognized determinant of bowel preparation quality}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1803366}},
doi = {{10.3389/fmed.2026.1803366}},
volume = {{13}},
year = {{2026}},
}